Three Dark Queens
by girl-at-home13
Summary: Quincy knew her brother was a drug runner. When he ends up killed, she finds herself the one on the run with her brothers girlfriend. Tossed into the cartel world, Quincy has to find her path an not get herself killed. James does his job an never leaves a loose end behind. When he finds himself drawn to Quincy, battle lines are drawn. Three queens, one cartel world, who will rise?
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi guys! I just recently discovered Queen of the South and absolutely fell in love with the show and of course James Valdez! He's so dreamy! I had to write a story for this show and give James a new love interest! I hope you guys like what I've written so far! I'd love to keep writing for this, so please let me know in the reviews how I'm doing and if you like it and would like me to keep going!_**

 ** _Chapter 1: Pilot Part One_**

 ** _Quinn's Point of View_**

 ** _Sinaloa, Mexico_**

 ** _One Year Ago_**

When I was a little girl I always wanted a horse of my own. I remembered watching the wild horses running through the mountains not far from our home and wanting to be just like them. Wild and free. My father said I'd never own a horse. He also said I'd never amount to anything, just like my brother Guero. He wasn't even Guero's real father. We were step siblings, but it's never felt like that a day in our life.

I snorted, if only he could see him now.

If you would have asked me the kind of life I'd have when I was ten years old, I would have probably said I would be working in some shitty cafe for shit pay, letting estúpido's grab my ass for better tips like my mother did before she died. I would have told you my father was right. I never would have imagined I'd be standing in a brand new horse stable that was built specifically for me.

Guero spared no expense, even though I told him not to. I didn't need anything extremely extravagant, I never have. He went all out though. Not that I'm complaining. The barn was beautiful. I could have lived in it, that's how luxurious my horses had it. White paint so pure it was like a fresh snow fall come winter covered the shiplap on the walls. The soft musty scent of hay filled your nose the moment you stepped close to the horses. I'd placed a few couches inside the barn to give it a more rustic homey feel, which always made me wish I could just move my bed in and sleep there instead of the house. The last time Brenda had visited we had placed potted plants all through the barn with the hopes to add splashes of color against the pure white of the paint and it had tremendously. Little pink and purple flowers overflowed the hanging baskets.

There were six stalls total and each one housed a beautiful Arabian horse. I'd told Guero three would have been more then enough to keep me happy, but six horses were unloaded from the trailer when the man came. Needless to say, I was extremely excited.

My brother promised me when we were younger things wouldn't always be the way they were. And they certainly weren't that way now. We grew up poor. We lived week to week. Sometimes Guero went without food, so I could eat dinner. That's who he was. My protector. At least he tried to be. Some things though you just can't be protected from. Like my father. While Guero was out trying to earn some way or another I became the target of his drunken rages before he ultimately bailed on us both altogether.

I'd covered the cigarette burns my father had graciously give me on my right lower forearm by my wrist with a tattoo that read, 'How sweet the sound,' in black curving ink. It was from the song Amazing Grace. It was one of the only things I really remember about my mother. She used to rock me to sleep, singing that song. That was always my favorite line, because her voice was such a sweet sound.

"How's that feel, Lucy Goose." I let the cool water running out of the water hose pour over Lucy Goose's back. It was an odd name for a horse, but I liked it.

I smiled, listening to the other horses in their stalls stomping around and neighing. I rubbed Lucy's back and felt her nudge the side of my face with her nose. "You're so beautiful!" I cooed, kissing her snout. Anyone who could hear me would think I was crazy for standing out here talking to a horse, but I didn't care.

I loved animals, because no matter their past, they still had the capacity to love. Even after being hurt.

It was late in the evening, the sun was beginning to set. I'd finished riding and taking care of all the horses when I got home from class. I was going to college to become a Equine Veterinary. While Guero was more then capable of taking care of us both in his line of work, I didn't want to rely on him forever. My brother was a drug runner. One of the best in Sinaloa, I might add. He flew shipments of cocaine to and from for the notorious Vargas Cartel that was run by Guero's godfather, Don Epifanio.

"Quincy! You out here?" Guero called, already knowing the answer. I peeked over Lucy to see him waltzing into the barn. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you?"

"Where'd you check, the kitchen?" I eyed the sandwich in his hand. He took a huge bite and grinned at me.

I rolled my eyes and kept cooling down Lucy. She had a good run today and needed it.

"Come on, stop playing My Little Pony and go get dressed. Something nice. I wanna go out." Guero ordered, sitting down on the love seat as I led Lucy into her stall. I shut and locked the gate.

"So go out." I shrugged my shoulders. Partying, while it was fun, wasn't exactly my thing. I enjoyed being in nature more then in some stuffy club wearing a dress three sizes too small.

"You're coming too. You spend to much time with these damn horses. It's getting a little creepy, Quincy." Guero smirked, dropping lettuce from his sandwich onto the floor.

I pointed at the mess. "You are worse then the damn horses, you know that? And don't call me Quincy. It's Quinn. Okay, Quinn!" I grumbled, hating being called by my full name. It was so formal and made me feel like I was getting reprimanded when I heard it. It reminded me of my father and I hated it.

I was just simply Quinn.

"Brenda and Chino are inside, waiting. Let's go!" Guero ordered, standing up snapping his fingers repeatedly. "Vamonos, vamanos, vamanos."

Chino was our cousin and Brenda was his lively and vivacious wife. I loved her to pieces. They were probably jumping each other's bones on the couch though. They were still in that honey moon phase of their relationship.

"Fine!" I laughed, "but can I just wear this?" I glanced down at my jean shorts and red and black plaid button up.

"I mean you could, but your clothes are a little wet looking." Guero smirked. He grabbed the hose off the ground and squirted me with it, sending me squealing and laughing running out of the barn towards the house. Guero ran after me soaking me from behind even more.

Once I was out of the reach of the hose and on the back patio, I flipped him the finger. "You're such an asshole!"

"It's my brotherly duty!" Guero called out across the yard.

•••••••

"You said we were going out, not changing money." I told my brother, making sure he could hear the annoyance in my tone.

Guero and I were leaning against his Dodge Charger. Little Market was packed with cars and people all here doing the same thing. Taking the dirty money they had earned one way or another and trading it for pesos. Brenda and Chino were making out in the car behind us. I could hear Brenda laughing and squealing.

One day I hoped to have something like what Chino and Brenda had. A loving, passionate, crazy relationship. But with hawk eye as my brother I doubted that would ever happen.

"We ain't gonna be here long, promise." Guero tossed his arm around me, protectively, scaring away any potential guys that may want to dance with me to the beat and bass of the music flowing from the cars blocking the street.

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"I'm gonna go dance." I spun out from under his arm and smirked at him. Guero liked to think he could control me and most of the time I was fine with letting him think that, but not tonight.

"Not in that dress." Guero snapped, stepping forward as if he could stop me. When we got into it it was like two bulls locking horns. We were both stubborn and irrational and fearless. Well, I tried to be fearless.

"You're the one who told me to wear something nice." I shot back with a smirk. Throwing it in his face. I was wearing a nice mini embroidered lace dress. Its simple silhouette was accented by beautiful hand embroidered flowers that contrasted its black foundation perfectly. It went well with my tan skin too, plus, it had just enough of a plunging neckline to annoy my over protective ass of a brother.

Brenda stuck her head out of the car window. "Relax, let the girl show off her tetas! She's got em, might as well flaunt them, girl!" Brenda smiled and winked at me. She was already a little buzzed and coked up.

I laughed and high five'd her through the window. I could always count on Brenda to have my back when it came to my brother.

"Aww, man. Brenda, why'd you have to go and talk about my sisters tetas." Guero shuddered like a ghost ran through him.

Brenda and I burst out laughing at how uncomfortable this was making Guero.

There was a guy eyeing me a few feet away, so I walked over and took his hand, pulling him out where everyone else was dancing. His hands found my hips and my arms went up in the air as I swayed and twirled around in front of the guy, slightly grinding against him. My blonde hair was pulled to the side by the guy, exposing my neck. I felt his lips touch my neck and whipped around, glaring at him.

"We're just dancing." I smiled, continuing to move along with him to the beat of the song.

"Come on, baby, we can dance all the way back to my place." He leaned in, smelling of tequila, whispering against my ear. I felt his hands slip down over my ass and shoved the palms of my hands into his chest.

"Not interested." I shot out.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Guero snapped, stepping in before I could even defend my own honor. "Huh?" He shoved the guy, making him run for the hills.

"I was handling it!" I snapped at him, heading back to the car. I slumped against it and watch my brother slink back over towards me.

He ran a hand through his hair and glanced at me as he slumped next to me against his car.

"You know you're the reason that I'm twenty two years old and have never been kissed, right."

"You want that douchbag to be your first kiss."

"No. Of course not. I'm just saying. It isn't easy having you as a brother."

"Well, it isn't easy having a pain in the ass little sister either." Guero smirked at me.

I shoved his face away from me with the palm of my hand playfully.

A young woman, probably only a few years older then myself, approached us hesitantly. "Hola. Do you need money changed?" She asked, sweetly. Her long brunette hair fell down around her face in beach waves.

"Watching you change money is enough." Guero smirked, putting the charm on thick for this poor girls benefit.

I couldn't help but snort back a laugh. "Real smooth, Romeo."

The girl grinned, flattered that Guero was flirting with her.

"How much?" She said, getting things back to business.

Guero reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash that could have easily been two or three grand and handed it to the girl, never breaking eye contact with her.

"What's taking so long!" Brenda poured, sticking her head back out the window beside me. She spotted the girl standing in front of Guero and smiled brightly. "Oh my god! Look how pretty you are!" She smacked Chino and made him look out the window at her. "Chino, look how pretty she is? Look at those legs! She is way to gorgeous to be working here!"

"Yeah, she's pretty! You two could be twins!" Chin laughed, pulling Brenda back inside the car onto his lap, kissing her.

"I'm sorry for them." I half laughed, looking at the girl Guero couldn't take his eyes off.

"It's okay." She smiled, handing Guero back his changed money.

An older man, maybe in his early forties sidled up behind the brunette girl, pressing himself up against her ass, squeezing her hip. The action was clearly uninvited. "I'm paying you to change money…not flirt." Her smile faded and the look on her face told me she was less then comfortable with this situation.

I wanted to punch the asshole in the face and if he wasn't twice my size, I probably would have. Men looked at women like objects and I hated it.

Before I knew what was happening Guero had the guy by the scruff of his shirt, yanking over and slamming his face into the hood of his car, hard. He did it again, and again. "You ever touch a woman like that again, I'll kill you!"

The brunette girl moved towards me, slightly taken aback that my brother had taken up for her. A hint of a smile ghosted across her lips as Guero slammed the asshole into the hood again. "You're gonna wish you never looked her way! You ever come near her again and I'll make your life a god damn nightmare."

"Guero! Come on!" I yelled, not wanting this to escalate anymore then it already has.

Guero slung the guy off to the side, panting, seething. He glanced at me and the girl standing beside me. She remained quiet, watching my brothers every movement.

With blood dripping down the side of his face the girls boss pointed at her. "You're fired, puta!"

"Get outta here!" Guero snapped, stepping toward the guy, making him walk off rather quickly.

Guero let out a pent up sigh and ran his hands through his sandy blonde hair, slicking it back. He waltzed over towards the girl he'd just defended, lighting up a cigarette in the process. "So now that you're out of a job. You comin' with us or what?"

She seemed puzzled, but contemplating Guero's offer.

"I'm Quinn. This knight in shining armor is my brother, Guero." I introduced ourselves. I'd never seen my brother go off on anyone who wasn't giving me a hard time before. This was weird on so many levels.

"Teresa. Teresa Mendoza." She introduced herself, smiling at Guero. It irritated me that my brother knew he was good looking and used it to his advantage. He was such a cocky asshole sometimes, but girls flocked to him. When I was in high school girls befriended me just to get to him.

"So what do you say, Teresita." Guero offered her his hand. Teresa smiled, clearly smitten already, and took my brothers hand.

••••••

We'd all ended up at the El Dorado, it was a dancing spot we frequented. The music blaring through the club rattled the bathroom mirrors it was so loud. I loved it though. Loud music had a way of making you feel so god damn alive. Teresa handled Brenda's constant questions the entire ride over here. So far I've learned that Teresa didn't have many friends or family and she grew up here in Sinaloa. We were all crammed into the clubs tiny female bathroom with a few other ladies, primping in the mirror.

Brenda was loaning Teresa some make up from her bag, while I tried and failed miserably to make my eyes look smokey. Growing up without a mother or any real girlfriends fucked me in the girly stuff department. Guero certainly couldn't teach me how to put on makeup. And if I asked him he'd say I didn't need it anyway.

"I can tell Guero really likes you! I know these things, I'm kinda like a witch like that." Brenda winked, applying a light layer of lipstick to Teresa's lips for her.

"A sexy Mexicana witch though." I added with a smile.

"You're too sweet, Quinny." Brenda smiled back, scrunching up her nose at me.

"What do you think about Chino? He's so cute, huh? He's not the brightest, but he's not complicated." Brenda went on, not letting Teresa get a word in edge wise. She made Teresa blot her lips on a paper towel and grinned, happy with the light makeup she'd applied to her face in under sixty seconds.

Teresa ripped the bottom of her pink tank top and tied it in a knot above her belly button. Brenda pulled a small vile of Coke out of her purse and a small sampling spoon. She snorted a bit up her nose before offering it to Teresa. She took it and snorted a small amount.

Teresa was about to hand it to me next, when Brenda stopped her. "No, no. None for this one. Guero finds out I got her high, he'd skin me alive. Although, she'd be doing me a favor. I think I might be pregnant again."

"Seriously?" I asked Brenda, excitedly. Brenda and Chino had one son, Tony. I still remember when he was born. So small and beautiful. It reminded me that there was still good in this world.

"Congratulations!" Teresa beamed.

"Aye, thank you!" Brenda smiled, before sashaying out of the bathroom, leaving me alone with Teresa and a few other girls.

"She's a bit much to take in at first, but you get used to her." I laughed referring to Brenda. "She's got a big heart."

"She seems great, you all do." Teresa said, sincerely. She turned to me and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. I had a feeling she wanted to ask me about my brother and why he'd done what he'd done for her tonight.

"Listen, my brothers one of the good ones." I assured her and he was, despite his profession. "I've never actually seen him go off on anyone that wasn't hassling me. I'm kinda surprised as you are."

"He seems a little…" Teresa searched for the right word.

"Intense? You have no idea." I laughed, shaking my head.

"I can fix that…" Teresa pointed towards my failed attempt at a smokey eye look. I handed her my clutch purse and let her do her thing. When she was done it looked incredible.

"You know my brother might just be distracted by you enough tonight that I can have a little fun." I grinned, wiggling my eyebrows.

Teresa laughed. "Well, I'm happy to be of help."

••••••

 ** _Six Months Ago_**

Teresa had become a part of our family in a short six months. She became the sister I wished Guero always was. If she wasn't with Guero she was with me. Shopping. Binge watching shows on Netflix. Helping me study for classes. We rode together. I'd never seen my brother so happy before. Teresa learned quickly that Guero earned his money running drugs, but it didn't matter to her. She understood that you had to do whatever it took to make it in this world.

Sometimes I thought Guero should get out of the cartel business. We had more then enough money and a home. We had enough. We would be okay. Part of me wanted him out of the life before he ended up getting himself killed. But I'd never say it out loud to his face. This was his world, his life. It's what he wanted and with him taking care of me, I wasn't going to pressure him into doing something he didn't want to do or pressure him into becoming something he didn't want to be.

It was Christmas time. Teresa's first Christmas with us. Guero's godfather had invited us all to his home for his annual Christmas party. It was weird, Guero was his god son, but I'd hardly ever spoken to Don Epifanio before. He regarded me as Guero's half sister and that was it. He was pleasant, but the distrust was evident.

The stretch hummer Epifanio had sent to pick us up came to a stop and the door opened. Guero and Teresa climbed out of the hummer and I followed suit, taking in the beautiful hacienda ranch style home all lit up in red Christmas lights. The sight took my breath away.

Christmas was my favorite holiday, for some unknown reason. The lights and the trees and the decorations all mesmerized me. I smoothed out my deep purple Sunvary Mini Chiffon Cocktail dress and played with one of my Diane Kordas dangling earrings as we headed inside the multimillion dollar home, trying not to think about the fact that I had a four thousand dollar pair of earrings on. They were a gift from Guero.

The place was packed with people I didn't recognize, other then Brenda and Chino. Waiters floated around handing out shimmering glasses of champagne to guests. A mariachi band was playing in the living room, while other Christmas music was blaring over the homes audio system.

It was all a little overwhelming. I snagged a glass of champagne off one of the passing waiters trays and sipped it hoping it would calm my nerves a bit.

Teresa and I were following Guero into the party more, arms looped together. We accidentally bumped in to a man and Teresa turned around to apologize. "I'm so sorry!"

The two men, decked out in their cowboy hats eyed us before spotting Guero, who had circled back to see why we weren't behind him. I didn't know the men standing in front of me, but I did slightly recognize them. I'd seen them talking to Guero in the driveway before. I think their names were Pote and Gato, but I wasn't one hundred percent sure.

"Don Epifanio is looking for your Guero." One of them said, not taking his eyes off of me and Teresa. "You too, cabrón." He gestured towards Chino.

The two burly men disappeared into the crowd of guests. Guero kissed Teresa on the lips and held her face in his hands. "I'll just be a minute. You two don't get lost out here." He eyed me, giving me a wink.

Teresa and I started to roam around alongside Brenda while the guys were off talking business I'm sure. Somehow Brenda had led us away from the party down a stone corridor. The music was fading the further we walked. Now that should tell you how huge this house is.

"Oh my god, look at this place." Brenda squealed, as if her own home weren't just as extravagant and luxurious. "I wanna live here!"

"It's like a Spanish Romania castle." I chimed in, admiring all of the stone and staccato work in the archways.

"We should head back to the party. I don't like snooping around." Teresa said, hesitant to keep pushing forward more. I was slightly buzzed on the champagne I'd drank and wanted to keep going even though a part of me knew we shouldn't.

"Relax, rich people love when you snoop around." Brenda said nonchalantly. I was already a little wobbly in my silver heels, but when Brenda jerked me by the arm down a side corridor leading into one of the bedrooms I almost fell. "Look at those shoes!"

It looked like we were in a spare closet or dressing room of some sort. "Let's go!" I whispered, stepping back out into the hallway with Teresa. It was one thing to walk around, but I didn't wanna be caught in a room we weren't supposed to be in.

"They're just sitting here. If there's a size six, I'm stealing them!" Brenda whispered, picking up a pair of red Gucci heels, smiling.

"Don't touch anything!" Teresa whisper yelled at Brenda.

Brenda sighed and sat the shoes back down in their rightful place. "You two are no fun! I have to pee! Can I do that?" She said, annoyed, slipping into the bathroom off of the room.

Teresa and I stood in the hallway keeping watch.

We could hear two people talking, well more like arguing, down the hall. Teresa slowly tiptoed towards the sound of the voices and I followed. "Teresa!" I whispered, but it was no use. I paused in the middle of the corridor, standing there like an idiot before going after Teresa.

I found her standing outside of a door that was ajar. Epifanio and his wife Camilla were inside. Camilla was clearly upset that Epifanio wanted her to play the part of a dutiful house wife while he ran for governor of Sinaloa. She didn't want to give up the 'family' business.

"We're expanding to Texas. I'll take Texas and be completely away from you and your election." Camilla snapped, glaring across the room at her husband.

He half laughed. "You'll take Texas?"

"Think of it as alimony. And you'll provide the product I need. It's nonnegotiable, Epifanio. Maria has instructions to finish packing my things. I'll call you when I get settled. Don't come looking for me." Camilla replied, calmly.

Camilla was at the door before Teresa and I could scurry away. She glared at us, knowing we'd been listening in on their private conversation. She stuck her nose up in the air and continued walking down the corridor.

Epifanio walked out next, eyeing us a little less suspiciously then Camilla just had.

"We were just looking for the bathroom." Teresa quickly tried to cover out asses.

"It's okay. It's not your fault. It's her fault. Let's blame her. I'm good with that." Epifanio smiled at us, but his smile left me feeling uneasy. "You are the girl Guero has been talking about so much."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Teresa smiled curtly.

"Quincy." Epifanio took my hand and squeezed it. "You both look lovely. Go join in on the party. I'll be out shortly."

And that was our cue to leave and we did. As we walked down the hallway I glanced back over my shoulder to see Epifanio staring at the both of us. Trusting people was hard for me, and Don Epifanio was not a man I trusted.

After overhearing Camilla and Epifanio conversation I felt uneasy and even more uncomfortable at this party. I stepped outside onto the patio that was basically deserted safe for a few older men enjoying a cigar or cigarette. I found myself wondering over towards the twelve foot Christmas tree that was centered on the patio. It's clear lights glistening in the night. I ran my fingers over the fresh pine needles gently, careful not to knock off an ornament. The air was cool, but not cold, but even so I felt goosebumps rising on my skin. I hugged myself and looked the tree up and down, mariachi music wafting outside.

"Shouldn't you be inside enjoying the festivities." A voice sounded off behind me, startling me.

I looked over my shoulder to see that I was virtually alone now. The lit cherry of a cigarette captured my attention and I assumed that's where the voice had come from. A silhouette appeared out of the darkness and a guy came into my line of sight.

He was tall and decked out in an expensive suit. His hair was slicked back, all except a piece that fell forward onto his forehead slightly. I couldn't help but think about running my fingers through it and tousling it around. Where the hell did that come from, Quinn? Within a few strides he was standing next to me by the Christmas tree. He put his cigarette to his lips, making me notice his beard that was neatly trimmed, but still with that bad boy allure.

"Shouldn't you?" I shot back. Two could play this game.

A soft grin formed on his face, but faded quickly. "Touché."

He tossed his cigarette on the ground and stubbed it out with his loafers. He glanced at me and our eyes met and I felt my heart literally skip a beat at the site of his eyes. They were so deep and brooding. Trouble. This guy had trouble written all over him. I quickly looked back at the Christmas tree.

I expected him to walk away after a moment. But he didn't. He stayed. He gazed at the tree and I caught him gazing at me quite a few times as well. It was weird, but I felt comfortable in his presence.

"You know it's funny, growing up, my brother and I were lucky to have one Christmas tree. They have nine." I blurted out without thinking. "I don't know why I just said that." I half laughed, shaking my head, making an ass out of myself.

"I never had one growing up. Not once." He said, staring at the lights with as much admiration as I did. "Which makes it weird, because Christmas is my favorite holiday."

"It's mine too." I smiled softly.

"Why?" He asked, surprising me. "Why is it your favorite?"

"I don't know. I've never been able to explain it. I just love the essence of what it means. Love. Family. Then again maybe I'm just a sucker for pretty sparkly lights." I grinned, looking down at my feet. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, trying to get rid of the goosebumps that were still crawling up my arms. Something told me it had more to do with the kind sexy as hell guy standing beside me.

"Here…" He shrugged his suit jacket off.

"No…no…no…I'm okay." I tried to stop him, but he was already draping it over my shoulders.

I breathed him in as he stood in my personal space and felt a shudder run down my spine. He smelled like cigarettes and hint of Dolce & Gabbana. He stepped back, giving me my space once again and I wished he wouldn't have.

"Thank you." I replied, politely.

"James." He extended his hand out for my own to take. "James Valdez."

I slipped my hand into his. It was warm and larger than my own, the palm of his hand scratched against my own, telling me he was a hard worker if he had callouses. He squeezed it gently, rubbing his thumb over the top of my hand gently.

"I'm Qu…." I was interrupted by the patio door swinging open. I glanced over to see Teresa and Brenda.

"Where have you been! Let's go!" Teresa smiled, taking notice of my hand in Jame's. I instantly let go and stepped back.

I was about to give him his jacket back, but he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Keep it. I hate wearing the damn thing anyway."

I couldn't help but laugh a little and smile. "Thank you. Merry Christmas."

I turned on my heel and headed towards Teresa and Brenda, feeling his eyes on me as I went.

"Wait!" He called out, stopping me in my tracks. I found my heart pounding in my chest as I glanced over my shoulder at him. "What's your name?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." I smirked.

"Merry Christmas, whoever you are." He said, his voice deep and smooth at the same time. His Spanish accent was hardly noticeable, which told me he must not be from around here.

I smiled walking back inside with Brenda and Teresa.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much to those who have reviewed, favorited and followed this story so far! I really hope you are enjoying everything so far! A lot happens in the pilot episode of the show so if it seems like things are happening really fast it's because I am trying to keep it in fashion with the show! I promise things will slow down and you'll get to know Quinn a lot more.**

 **James should be in the next chapter! :)**

 **For those of you who have Instagram I created an account for this story to post outfit guides and other things here:**

 **Chapter 2: Pilot Part Two**

 **Quinn's Point of View**

 **Three Months Ago**

My brother might be a drug runner, but he was a smart drug runner. He moved up the ranks quickly. And for the most part he was happy. We were all happy. I guess you could say we were all living proof that the American dream was alive and well. Guero never talked about what he had to do when he was away. As far as I knew he was a pilot. His job was simply to make it from point A to point B on time and keep the shipment in one piece, not to mention himself.

Rarely did he ever come home hurt, but sometimes he did. In this business getting hurt was inevitable sometimes.

I believed him when he said that he was being careful and staying safe. What other choice did I have? I wasn't stupid though. I knew every time he walked out the front door there was a chance he wasn't coming home. Teresa knew it too.

"Guero should be back today, right?" I asked Teresa as a woman massaged my feet.

We'd just got done getting facials done at the spa we were at for the day. Teresa wanted to treat me to day at the spa because I just finished another semester of college. Finals were brutal and I was stressing hard. I loved spending time with Teresa, so I jumped at the opportunity.

"If all goes well, he should be." Teresa replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. She worried about my brother more then me sometimes. I'd been so busy with finals, I didn't even know were he was off to on this run.

Noticing this, I shifted in my seat a little, turning more towards her. "Don't worry about him. He's always careful and now he has even more of a reason to be." I reassured, winking at her.

Teresa smiled slightly, but I could tell she was still worried. Guero and Teresa were actually coming up on their first anniversary together. It'd been almost a year since we'd all become one big happy family.

"Come on!" I exclaimed. "We're supposed to be relaxing. Not stressing ourselves out even more."

"I know, I know." Teresa sighed, but she smiled a little more.

"Then let's talk about what you're doing for your anniversary." I told her. "The fact that Guero hasn't ran you off for an entire year is a feat itself." I laughed out laughed. "How you put up with him is beyond my comprehension."

Teresa laughed, her eyes falling a bit. I noticed she did that a lot when she was getting lost in her head.

I reached across and touched her hand gently. "Hey, you okay?"

Teresa swiped a tear that was sliding down her cheek away quickly with the flick of her hand, bracelets jangling on her wrist in the process. "I've never had an anniversary to celebrate with anyone. It's always been just me, you know? I've never had anything to be this happy about. My life has always been a series of hit and runs." She laughed, but it was hollow.

I squeezed her hand tighter. "Guero loves you. I love you. We're family, Teresa. Nothing will ever change that. The past is the past, but the future, it's ours." I lifted my hand out in front of me making a grand gesture.

"You're right." Teresa smiled, watching the woman paint her toenails a bright shade of red. I'd opted for black on my own. "I wanna do something small. Maybe breakfast in bed and some other things in bed as well."

"TMI! I will make myself scarce tonight so you guys can have the house." I laughed, not wanting to think about my brother getting it on with his girlfriend down the hall from my bedroom.

"Speaking of sexy saucy things, did you ever ask Guero about that guys James? The one who gave you the jacket at Christmas." Teresa asked, smirking, turning the tables on me.

I still had James suit jacket hanging in my closet. I don't even know why I kept it. Actually, I do know why. It smelled like him and I didn't want to forget him. Even though he's just some guy from a party I'll never see again.

"Oh yeah, Guero's exact words were, I don't know him and neither will you." I laughed. His over protectiveness was a pain in the ass for me when it came to dating and guys.

"Well maybe you can find a sweet Chicano at your school. What made you get into medicine anyway, I don't think I've ever asked you before?" Teresa asked, curiosity coloring her features. "I mean, with how much money Guero makes, you could've done anything. Why that?"

"Well, when I was little, I always wanted a horse but we couldn't afford one. Guero used to take me to the fields just to relax and get away. One day, I saw a wild horse sitting on the ground with a broken leg, too hurt to move, and all I could think about was wanting nothing more than to help that horse as she looked me in the eyes. Guero told me not to get too close because she was wild, but ever since then, I wanted to make sure nothing like that happened again."

"You have a big heart Quinny." Teresa smiled at me.

••••••

After being pampered at the spa, Teresa and I had to go to a late luncheon with a few of the other women whose men were tied to the cartel. Teresa was on the phone with Brenda as we trudged up the front steps, with bags on our arms. I unlocked the front door and let Teresa walk in before me.

"Oh my god, Brenda! Did you see Batman's new morra?" Teresa squared, making me laugh a little. She walked into the foyer, dropping her bags. "She thinks she's so classy because she ate her taco with, like, a fork and knife."

I could hear Brenda chattering away even from my spot closing the front door. When I turned around and sat my bags down by Teresa's I glanced into the living room and saw Guero. He was sitting down on the couch with his arm in a makeshift sling and blood all over his face.

"Brenda, I'll call you back." Teresa said in shock and hung up the phone. It fell to the floor as she slowly approached my brother taking in his appearance.

"Hey. It's not as bad as it looks." Guero gave us a weak smirk, playing it off as nothing.

"Jesus! Guero!" I ran to him and knelt down on my knees in front of him, inspecting his face. He had a small gash above his left eye, but it was okay. I noticed a few scrapes on his shoulders too. "What the hell happened?"

Teresa walked forward slowly, sitting down next to him on the couch.

"We were ambushed. We got to the landing strip and everyone was dead. There were Federales everywhere. They just opened up and fired on me. Cessna's gone." Guero explained, watching Teresa and I both, gauging our reactions. We'd just had lunch with Cessna's wife. "I'm okay, though."

"You're not okay, Guero! You're hurt. Each time you get hurt it gets worse. The next time this happens you could be dead." I replied solemnly. "Don't you see that? Maybe…"

"If you say this is a sign I should get out, I'm gonna torch your barn and all your precious horses!" Guero spat at me, annoyed. He lit a cigarette and blew smoke in my face.

"Be nice!" Teresa smack him on the shoulder. "She's just worried about you, and so am I." She took Guero's face in her hands and kissed him, deeply.

I got to my feet and paced the length of the living room.

"Quinn, I'm sorry." Guero sighed, "I'm okay. But things are getting a bit complicated. I can't get out now even if I wanted to. I've just gotta take more precautions and be more alert next time. Everything's fine."

Our eyes met and I knew he was lying. He squints a little when he lies and he was doing it right now.

Everything wasn't fine.

••••••

Later that evening Guero took Teresa and I to our old shack in the slums. We came there a lot and hung out on the roof because it had one of the best views of the city. Staccato shacks filled every hill and mountain surrounding us. The Mexican village we grew up in was still the same as ever. The sun was setting behind the mountains, finally giving us some shade.

Guero and Teresa and I were all sharing a cigarette, something I rarely did.

"I don't know what's going on or where this is gonna end, but I want you two to be prepared." Guero said, looking at me and then Teresa. He grabbed the bag he'd lugged along with us and unzipped it. He reached inside and pulled out an old ancient flip phone. "If this thing ever rings, it means I'm dead and you two need to run to a safe house."

I got up from where I was sitting and glared at him. "Don't look at me like that! We both know the shelf life of someone in this business. It's short. I need you to listen to me, Quinn."

His eyes were pleading with me. "Please, go on."

"You're gonna have money and blow to trade if needed. There's two passports inside the bag, one for each of you. I need you to both promise me something, okay?" Guero said, pausing to make sure he had both our attention.

I felt sick to my stomach and wanted to vomit, but I nodded my head.

"If something ever happens to me. I need you two to take care of each other. Promise me?" The thought of losing my brother was overwhelming. Even thinking about it made me feel paralyzed.

"I promise." Teresa said, sincerely and I knew she meant it.

"I promise, too." I said, meaning it more than anything.

Guero dropped the phone back in the bag and pulled out a handgun, sitting it down beside him on the roof. He then pulled out an eight by ten leather bound journal. "If you two are ever in deep shit, all right, you take this notebook, and you take it to Don Epifanio, and you trade it for your lives. Don't under any circumstances trust Batman. Don Epifanio." He looked at us sternly, stressing how important this was.

I took the book out of his hand and stared at. "What's inside of it?" Teresa asked, thinking what I was thinking. How could this little book be a god damn life saver? What secrets were inked onto its pages? I was about to leaf through the pages when Guero's voice stopped me.

"You don't wanna know. Okay? Just don't read it." Could he be anymore vague? "Epifanio will help you though."

I nodded my head and handed him back the book. I picked up the gun had sitting next to him, feeling the weight of the gun in my hand. It'd been a long time since I'd held a gun. Guero taught me how to shoot when I was thirteen. After our mother died and his father bailed, it was just us. He wanted me to be able to defend myself when he wasn't around.

"You remember how to use that thing?" Guero asked, smirking. When he taught me how to shoot when we were younger I'd picked up on it pretty quickly. Within an hour or two I was shooting old glass soda bottles off a fence with ease.

I checked the clip to make sure it had rounds and then locked it back into place and clicked off the safety then put it back on. I lifted it up and set my sights on a beer can across the roof, then lowered it.

Guero smirked at me, as Teresa took the gun from me.

"Teach me how to use this." She held the gun up setting her sights on something in the distance.

•••••

 **Present Day**

I was standing in the kitchen chopping vegetables for a salad while Teresa was upstairs taking a bath. We'd just got back from shopping at the farmers market. We were gonna have a late lunch out back on the patio since Guero was gone again on another run. He'd been gone a lot more often lately and more reluctant to tell Teresa and I any details about what was going on. I tried to chalk it up to him just being a guy and weird and my brother, but I knew deep down there was more to his sudden change in demeanor.

The day he'd told Teresa and I we may have to run I knew something was changing. It scared me. Teresa however seemed unfazed by it. Actually, I think it excited her.

I was chopping lettuce on a wooden cutting board when I heard my phone ringing. I stopped chopping and reached across the counter and picked up my iPhone, but the screen was blank. I thought maybe it was Teresa's phone and she'd answer it upstairs so I went back to chopping lettuce, but it kept ringing.

I paused.

The phone.

I ran into the foyer the same time Teresa came running down the staircase wrapped in a towel. We shared an uneasy glance with each other. The phone continued to ring. It was the one Guero gave us. I searched the end table by the front door and found it underneath a pile of old magazines. My heart thudded in my chest as I answered it.

This wasn't happening…

"Hello?" I practically whispered.

"Is this Quincy or Teresa." The mans voice asked.

My fingers trembled around the old phone. "Quincy."

"You don't know me. But Guero is dead. You and Teresa need to get out of the house. Now." The line went dead after that and I dropped the phone, stumbling backwards, clamping a hand over my mouth, stifling a cry.

"What is it? What's going on? Quinn?" Teresa was yelling questions at me, panic rising in her own voice.

I felt numb. My legs felt like lead and my heart felt like it was going to exploded. Everything seemed to slow down. I could see Teresa in front of me. Hear her yelling. But couldn't make out the words she was saying. The girl could speak Spanish faster then anyone I knew.

"He's dead." I finally choked out, tears burning my eyes. That's when I realized we had to go. "Get dressed. Now! We have to go!" I grabbed her and shoved her towards the stairs so she could throw some clothes on.

While Teresa did that I grabbed the phone off the floor and shoved it in my back pocket. Before I knew it Teresa and I were running out of the house.

"Give me the phone!" Teresa said, as we ran down the street heading down the driveway. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and passed it to her as we ran.

Teresa opened the phone and dialed a number, making me wonder what the hell she was doing. "Brenda! Brenda! Get out of the house now!" She yelled, and it clicked. Her and Tony and Chino were in just as much danger as we are. Chino was my brothers right hand man. Whatever happened could involve him too. Knowing that made me push myself to run even faster.

We only lived a few blocks from Brenda and Chino's. At least now I knew where we were running to now.

"Guero's dead, Brenda. Get you and Tony and get out of the house!" Teresa practically screamed into the phone.

Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision. My heart broke and thudded each time my boots hit the dirt as we continued to run, pushing people out of the way. "Get out now!" Teresa demanded again. "They killed Guero! They could be coming after Chino too! Get out!" Obviously Brenda wasn't comprehending what was happening.

I followed Teresa as we cut down a side street that lead straight up to Brenda's house. We were only a few more blocks away when Teresa slowed down slightly. "What is it? You have to get out of there. Don't let them see you. Quinn and I are coming!"

I latched onto Teresa's forearm and somehow we managed to run even faster then we had been before. Whoever killed my brother was already at Chino's house. They'd certainly have no problem killing Brenda and Tony.

We ran up Brenda's driveway cautiously heading towards the front door. I saw three men in the living room through the large side windows and grabbed Teresa, pulling her back out of sight against the house. We peeked around the corner and could see Chino sitting in a chair. Pote and Gato were yelling at him. Chino was waving his hands around trying to defuse the situation. I couldn't make out any words they were saying though. Bricks of uncut cocaine were stacked on the coffee table.

Gato leaned down and snorted some up his nose.

"We have to get them out of there!" I hissed, choking back tears. I wanted to fall apart, but my adrenaline was holding me somewhat together.

Teresa wasn't letting herself feel anything yet. I could see the pain on her face and the tears sliding down her cheeks, but she was holding herself together. How I had no clue.

"You and Tony need to climb down the balcony out front. Go. We're right below you." Teresa instructed Brenda through the phone, watching Gato and Pote yank Chino out of his chair.

We heard the patio door open above us a few seconds later. I stepped back and looked up, just in time to see Tony climbing down the balcony. I reached up and grabbed him so he wouldn't fall and as soon as his feet hit the ground he latched his arms around my waist.

"Where's daddy?" He cried out, scared to fucking death. I was right there with him.

"It's okay. He's okay." I kept his face tucked into my side as Brenda worked her way down the balcony in heels. Once she was on the ground we hunched down beside the window.

Tony reached for his mother and she wrapped her arms around him tightly, protectively. "Listen to me, Brenda. We have to run. You can't look. We have to go for the car. Don't look."

We seemed to do a silent countdown to run.

Three…Two…One…

Teresa nodded her head, grabbing Tony's hand and headed for the car. I grabbed Brenda's hand, but she wouldn't move. She was staring directly into the living room and now so was I.

"Brenda! Quinn!" Teresa screamed from the car. Chino was looking back at us with a gun to his head.

"Brenda we have to go!" I was screaming for her to come on when Gato pulled the trigger. Gato looked up and out the front window spotting Brenda and I. Pote took off out of the living room coming for us.

The sound of Brenda screaming and the gun going off pierced my ears as I dragged her to the Escalade Teresa was waiting in with Tony. I shoved Brenda in the passenger seat and climbed in the back with Tony.

"Tony, get down." I told him, pulling him down in the seat. He was crying and scared to death. He wasn't alone.

I whipped my head around in the seat to see Gato and Pote charging down the front steps, guns raised as shots rang out. Teresa jerked the Escalade in gear and jammed her foot on the gas sending us flying backwards in reverse. The Escalade collided with Pote, knocking him down briefly for a moment. Loud pings hit the metal Escalade, but none broke through the bullet proof glass, thankfully, as Teresa switched gears and took off out of the driveway.

She slung us around a few turns getting us as far away from Brenda's house as possible.

Brenda was crying hysterically in the passenger seat. "Oh, Chino!" All of us were gasping for air and trying to regain our bearings. "Chino!"

"Momma!" Tony cried out.

I pulled him close to me and realized how big he's gotten. He was eleven years old and no longer the little baby I used to babysit so Brenda and Chino could go out for a night on the town. I could feel him trembling in my arms and held him tighter.

"It's gonna be okay!" I whispered in his hair.

Teresa was weaving in and out of side streets trying to keep us out of sight.

"He promised me. Chino, promised me he would never put us in this kind of danger." Brenda sobbed.

"We need to get to the safe house." I shouted over all the sobbing. "Guero said we should go to the safe house if something ever happened!"

"Right. In the Barrio!" Teresa nodded, glancing at me in the rear view mirror.

"What safe house? How do we know they don't already know where it is and are heading there now, huh? They're everywhere!" Brenda yelled hysterically. She grabbed her bag off the floor board and searched through it until she found a small vial of coke at the bottom and pulled it out.

"Brenda!" Teresa said, and edge in her voice. This really wasn't the best time to be getting cranked up right now.

"Don't!" Brenda snapped, tapping some of the wipe powder out onto her hand and snorting it up her nose. "Don't look at me like that right now. I'm not crazy!" She tossed the vial back in her bag and pinched her nose.

"The safe house is our best bet right now. We have nowhere else to go!" I stated, feeling my chest tightening.

"What about Papi?" Tony asked, crocodile tears sliding down his cheeks. I wiped the tears from his face and gave him a weak smile.

"He's gonna go too. Right, B." Teresa said, looking over at Brenda who was losing her mind right now.

"It's okay, Tony. I promise." I kissed his forehead and pulled him against my side. The truth is I don't know if anything will ever be okay again. But we all are falling apart and Tony needs us to be strong right now. He has no idea why this is happening.

Hell we don't even know why this is happening.

"We need to find Don Epifanio." Teresa said, nodding her head as if that would solve everything.

"That's right. Guero said if we were ever in trouble that he would help!" I finished her sentence. We shared a hopeful glance with each other in the rear view mirror.

"Epi isn't even in the game anymore since he started running for governor! You really think he's gonna help us? Brenda snapped back at us both. She laughed, "It's a fantasy!"

Teresa made a right hand turn down an old side street behind some apartment buildings. As we crossed over some old railroad tracks we noticed two trucks coming towards us.

"Shit." Teresa said, she quickly put the car in reverse and started to go back the way we came. Two more trucks closed in on us from behind now. We were boxed in. Like foxes stuck in a trap.

Men with heavy weapons got out of the trucks in front of us and began walking towards us.

"Tony get down." Brenda instructed. I covered myself over Tony as Teresa slammed her foot on the gas sending us flying backwards.

The Escalade made contact with one of the trucks behind us. Metal made contact with metal, tires screeched. I was slammed into the back of my seat, hard. All of us were momentarily stunned by the sudden impact. I heard men yelling and Brenda screaming for Tony. Dust was flying all around the Escalade. The faint smell of gasoline filled my nostrils.

"Tony! Let's go!" Brenda yelled, pulling Tony up through the front of the vehicle. I helped him the best I could and noticed Teresa was falling out of the car.

Shots were being fired at us as I pushed my door open and fell out onto my knees. The wind had been knocked out of me. Before I knew what was happening Teresa had grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. I coughed as the smell of the gasoline grew stronger. We needed to get the fuck away from this car before it blew up.

They were still firing shots at us as Teresa and I looked around disoriented to see where Brenda and Tony had run off to. "Brenda!" Teresa screamed. But we didn't get a response.

"We got to go!" I yelled, panic rising high and higher within me.

Teresa took off in a run, dragging me along behind her. Our hands broke apart, but I was right behind her. There was a sickening explosion from behind me and I felt the heat threatening to swallow me, nipping at my heels, as I kept running. The sound was so loud, it drowned out everything except my own blood pounding in my ears. Thankfully, Teresa and I had gotten far enough away from the cars that we didn't get hurt in the explosion but I wasn't so sure that the men chasing us had been so lucky.

At this point I didn't know where Brenda and Tony were, but I prayed they were safe.

Teresa and I ran down a crowded street, weaving in and out of people, drawing attention to ourselves, which wasn't good. That explosion had to have been heard miles away and here we are running away from it.

"We got to get off the street!" Teresa yelled over her shoulder. People passing by us were gawking and turning towards each other to whispered.

We turned down a side alley and started knocking on doors, praying someone would have the heart to help us hide, if only for a few minutes. Even if the explosion took out some of those guys, more would surely follow. They wouldn't just let us walk. That's not how this business worked.

"Help us, please!" We begged beating on the last door we had to knock on. I kicked the door and slammed my palms into the metal so hard my palms stung. "Help us! Please!"

Just when Teresa and I thought the door wasn't going to open, it did. An elderly woman looked at us wearily, but ushered us inside.

••••••

Teresa and I were able to hole up in the elderly woman's home until nightfall. So here we are in the middle of the night slinking through the darkness in one of the most dangerous areas of the city heading towards the safe house in the Barrio. The irony didn't elude me. Teresa had the key to the apartment and searched for it in her bag. We found the correct building and ran up the seven flights of stairs to get to our floor. We were in apartment 247A.

As Teresa quickly unlocked the door as quietly as possible. I glanced around over our shoulders hoping no one was tailing us. The door swung opened and we quickly rushed inside locking it behind us. We ran down the flight of stairs into the tiny apartment. It was dark and smelled moldy and old.

It wasn't home. I rested my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath and felt the tears burning the back of my eyes. I finally stopped fighting it and let them fall. Sobs racked through my body as realization set in. Guero was gone. My brother. My best friend. He was just gone. In a blink of an eye. While we were running today part of me had hoped, prayed, Guero would be here waiting for us. But that clearly wasn't the case.

Teresa sat down on the edge of the dirty mattress that filled practically the entire apartment. She yanked her shirt off, bawled it up and threw it behind her angrily. Her face fell to her hands and I saw through my own blurry tears a sob flow through her. She got up quickly though and rummaged through some of the dresser drawers until she found a new plaid shirt to pull on.

"We have to go to Don Epi." Teresa said, her eyes frantically searching around the room. She was right. As much as I didn't trust Epifanio, he was our only chance at survival right now.

"We need the book." I scoured the apartment for the bag Guero had showed us that day on the roof. I looked under the bed and it wasn't there.

Sliding back a musky curtain along the far wall I found a makeshift closet and the leather bag resting contently on the top shelf. I yanked it down and tossed it on the bed. I pulled out a bag of blow and the passports before finding the leather bound journal. I wiped away the tears as they slid down my cheeks with one hand and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Teresa.

The sound of Teresa snorting blow up her nose made me lift my head and look at her. She was falling apart. I wrapped my arms around her and cried against her shoulder as she did the same to me.

"This can't be happening." I croaked out, still unwilling to process what was already happening.

"I don't want to believe it." Teresa said, as we pulled apart.

"I don't understand why or how this happened. Guero was one of the best. If not the best." I went on, shaking my head as if that would help.

I opened the leather bound book that was supposed to spare our lives and found nothing but numbers upon numbers, names I didn't recognize. Symbols in corners of some of the pages. It was like a puzzle in itself. "I don't understand any of this? Do you?"

I handed the book over to Teresa and watched as she carefully leafed through a few pages. "It doesn't make sense. None of it."

"It must mean something to someone somewhere, otherwise Guero wouldn't have given it to us to use." I stated, standing up and rubbing my eyes. They were still wet and turning puffy and sore. I wiped the snot coming out of my nose on the back of my plaid sleeve.

The sound of the front door being kicked in made Teresa and I both jump. Teresa was standing in front of me protectively within seconds as footsteps barreled down the stairs. My heart was exploding in my chest and it felt like I couldn't breath. I felt numb.

Gato and Pote stared at us, guns in their hands. Pote stayed by the staircase with his gun pointed at us as Gato moved towards us slowly, intimidating us into the corner.

"What're you reading there, eh?" He snatched the book out of Teresa's hand and smirked, flipping through its pages.

"This is some heavy shit." He half laughed. "You two should have a seat. All that running around just have made you awfully tired." Gato continued, his eyes darting back and forth between Teresa and I.

"We don't know anything, Gato." Teresa stated. Her eyes never looked away from his.

"Clearly." Gato laughed, shaking his head.

"Where's my brother." I snapped, anger coursing through my veins like goddamn wildfire. I stepped forward in front of Teresa getting closer to Gato. "Where the fuck is my brother?"

Within a second Gato had grabbed my by the throat and slammed me against the wall. He kept pressure around my throat and glared at me. "Who the hell do you think you are, puta? I ask the questions. You think cause Guero spoiled your fine little ass I have to tell you anything?" His hand gripped my ass. My hands were grasped around his one wrist attached to the hand around my neck.

I glanced at Teresa who wanted to so desperately try and help me. I shook my head slightly hoping she would understand I didn't want her to piss him off even more. We had to be smart if we were going to get the hell out of here alive.

He pressed a little harder, before letting go and stepping back. I rubbed my neck and coughed, finally able to get a full breath of air to my lungs.

"What happened to him?" Teresa asked, staring Gato down.

Gato smirked at Pote who was still standing by the staircase with his hands crossed in front of him. The expression on his face told me Gato was having more fun doing this then he was.

"Now she wants to know where Guero is. Ay, ay, ay. Guero, Guero, Guero." Gato taunted us. "Well, you see, your brother," he pointed at me, "and your man," he pointed at Teresa, "thought that he was smart, skimming from Batman with Chino."

"Your man is nowhere because he's dead." Gato said, smiling. My brother was dead and this fucking asshole was standing here smiling.

"Estúpido hijo de puta." Teresa said darkly under her breath. Gato stepped forward and got in her face. He gripped her chin making her look at him.

"What the hell did you just say to me?" He spat, slapping her hard across the face, sending her flying backwards onto the bed. Teresa winced and grabbed her jaw with one hand.

Gato stared at Teresa like she was his for the taking. He reached down towards his belt and my stomach twisted into knots even more. I knew where this was going to lead and knew I couldn't let it happen. He grabbed Teresa by the ankle and yanked her towards him on the bed.

"What are you doing, Gato?" Pote finally spoke, eyeing Gato. He walked closer as if he were maybe going to put a stop to what was about to happen. "Guero, was one of ours!"

"I swear to god if you touch her, I'll kill you." The words left my mouth without my consent, but as I said them I meant every word.

Gato looked at me wickedly, stepping away from Teresa. He walked towards me, forcing me to step back until I was against the wall. "Look who grew some balls. At least one of you Davila's has a pair. Guero certainly didn't."

He gripped my hips, pushing himself against me. "You know I've always wanted a piece of this. He grabbed the waistband to my jeans and slipped his hand down inside. I felt his rough disgusting hands cupping me and slammed my hands against his chest. I slapped him across the face, digging my nails in as I swiped across his flesh. He grabbed my arm and tossed me like a rag doll onto the floor.

"Get her upstairs." Gato instructed Pote.

Pote shook his head, but grabbed me by the elbow and yanked me to my feet. "Get the fuck off of me!" I screamed, as he pulled me towards the stairs.

Gato was ripping Teresa's jeans off as Pote hauled me up the stairs. The grip he had on my arm was so tight I thought the bones might snap. I whipped around and slapped him and hit him as hard as I possible could, not giving up or surrendering. I could hear panting and Gato yelling at Teresa as Pote shoved me against the front door, pinning my arm behind my back.

"Stop this! Please! You can help us. You don't have to do this to us!" I begged. "I saw the look on your face. You don't want him to hurt us like this. Please!?"

Pote said nothing. I sobbed against the door. I felt Pote loosen his grip on my wrist and pulled out of his grasp, spinning around and kneeing him in the groin. He was a heavy set man and the blow to the nuts made him drop the gun in his hand. I grabbed it and shot him in the foot. He screamed and fell to the ground. Another shot ran out downstairs and I flew down the staircase praying it wasn't Teresa on the other end of the shot.

Gato was on the ground screaming clutching his jaw. Blood was pouring out everywhere around him on the floor. "Get dressed we have to go!" I shouted at Teresa as she stood over him in shock in just her plaid button up.

I handed her jeans and tossed the blow and the book back into the bag. Teresa picked it up and grabbed Gato's gun she'd laid down when she pulled her underwear and jeans back on. I walked over to Gato lying there bleeding out helplessly on the floor and kicked him as hard as possible in the groin with my boot. I did it again and again and again, hoping he'd never be able to use his penis again. His screams fueling my rage.

Teresa grabbed my arm, pulling me away. "Let's go, Quincy! We have to go!"

Pote had managed to make it down the stairs to see what was happening. Teresa held him at gunpoint at the end of the stairs. "Go, Quincy." She instructed. I backed up the stairs, looking at the blood trail Pote had left as he came stumbling down them.

Teresa followed after me and we ran out the front door and down the seven flights of stairs into the blackened night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Pilot Part Three**

 **Quinn's Point of View**

We hadn't stopped running since we left the safe house in the Barrio. I honestly couldn't even tell you where we were right now. Once we got far enough away from the safe house Teresa and I slowed to a steady walk. She hadn't spoken since we fled and I hadn't pressed her to do so. Gato had just raped her and I let it happen. I promised my brother that I'd protect her and be there for her and I failed her when it mattered most. The logical part of my brain is telling me there was nothing I could really do, but my heart is killing me.

Crickets chirped in the otherwise silent night air. A few dogs barked in the distance as we approached an old church. "We need to get a hold of Epifanio." Teresa said, stopping and turning to look at me.

I guided her over to the side of the church so we weren't just standing out in the open. Part of me didn't want to call Epifanio at all, but part of me knew we had no other choice. Teresa pulled the cell phone buried deep in the bottom of the bag we'd grabbed out and gave me an uneasy glance before dialing the phone number.

We both sat down on the ground next to each other, exhausted. Teresa held the phone to her ear and I leaned in to listen as well. The phone rang repeatedly before a voice finally appeared on the other end. "Hello?"

"Hello?" Epifanio's confused voice filled both our ears. I looked at Teresa, still wondering if this was our best bet. Something about Don Epifanio just never set well with me. He acted friendly, supportive, but I'd always wondered if it was all an act. But if Guero told us to go to him, then he must have trusted him? So should we? "Teresa? Quincy? Who am I speaking to here?"

Teresa froze and handed me the phone. I took a deep breath and let it out. "Don Epi? We need you. We need your help. It's bad. Guero's dead. Please help us?" I didn't want to come across as begging, but at this point I had to.

"Where are you?" He asked. I told him about where I thought we were and hung up the phone. He'd said he was coming to get us. That should have made me feel better, but it didn't.

At this point I wondered if normal would ever be something Teresa and I would feel again.

I glanced over at Teresa. Her eyes were closed and she had her head tilted back resting against the stone building.

"I'm sorry, T." I whispered, feeling the lump forming in my throat. "Are you okay?" I didn't know what to say or do for her.

She opened her eyes, a tear sliding down her cheek and gave me a weak smile. "I'm okay, Quinny. Really."

"I tried to get to you before he… I couldn't. I should have been able to help you." Teresa pulled me into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around me. Teresa had become the sister I'd always wished Guero would have been. We laughed about that constantly, teasing Guero.

"What happened was not your fault." She whispered, pulling back, holding my face in her hands. "You didn't do this. We're going to get through this, okay? I promise you. I told Guero I'd look after you and I will. Always."

"We're familia." I said back, letting her pull me onto her shoulder. I rested my head and closed my eyes for a brief second, finally feeling how tired and achy my body felt. My throat was sore where Gato had grabbed me and felt bruised. My legs ached from running and my feet felt like they had blisters from my boots.

Thirty minutes had passed before we finally heard a car approaching the front of the church. The sound of stones crunching under the weight of the tires made us both jump, startled. We got to our feet and peeked around the side of the church, blinded momentarily by headlights.

We heard a door open and foot steps. "Teresa? Quincy?" Epifanio called out, hesitantly.

Playing the only card we had, Teresa and I showed ourselves, stepping out from behind the building.

Through the badly lit streetlight Epifanio came into view. He looked like he'd just come from a party, decked out in a fancy suit that screamed money, instead of from home at this late hour. Honestly, I didn't even know what time it was at the moment.

"Come," Epifanio ushered us closer, "let's talk inside." He gestured towards the church and headed inside.

I followed Teresa wearily towards the door, glancing at Epifanio's ride. A sleek black Escalade. There was a man behind the wheel, because of course Epifanio wouldn't be caught dead driving himself around, him being the future Governor of Sinaloa.

Teresa was about to go inside when I grabbed her elbow, having second thoughts about this. "I'm not sure about this…" I whispered, glancing around wildly.

"Guero trusted him. We have to try." She said.

"I know, but if we show him that book, what's stopping him from putting two bullets in our heads." I pointed out.

"Guero was his godson. We have to give him the benefit of the doubt." Teresa said, she held the door open for me and with a deep breath I walked inside.

The place of worship was quite beautiful and calming. Lit candles filled the place alongside flowers at different shrines and gravestones on the walls. A few dark pews filled the center of the small building. Teresa and I sat down next to Epifanio.

He eyed us as we sat next to him. I couldn't sit still so I got to my feet again and leaned against the pew in front of us so I could see his face better. Teresa pulled the leather bound golden Willy Wonka ticket book out of the bag beside her and handed it to Epifanio.

"Guero said if something ever happened to him, we were to bring this to you and you'd keep us safe." She spoke calmly, judging his reaction.

He held the book, flipping through its pages. The book rested on his lap as he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a cigar. He lit it. I watched as the flame burned the ending off. I felt a lot like the burnt ashes. I felt like I'd been turned to nothing but ash.

"Is it true? Is he really dead?" Teresa asked, still having a slight bit of hope left in her voice, even after everything that's happened tonight.

"It's true, I'm afraid. I'm terribly sorry." Epifanio said, looking at us both. "He was caught playing both sides. And someone finally blew the whistle on him."

"My brother wouldn't do that! A mistake was made and now my brother is dead!" I snapped, jumping to Guero's defense. The guy I knew as my brother would have never been so stupid as to steal coke from Epifanio's men.

"Facts are facts, sweetheart. I'm afraid you didn't know Guero as much as you thought you did." Epifanio quipped back, inhaling on his cigar, blowing the smoke out slowly.

His hand ran over the book on his lap. "Have you read what's in here?" His bushy eyebrows raised, curiously.

"No. We just brought it to you like Guero said to do." Teresa answered for the both of us. "We don't know anything."

"You're lucky." Epifanio told us.

"Yeah, we are the epitome of good luck." I snapped, half laughing. "You have no idea what we've been through tonight!"

"You're alive." He pointed out. "For the time being. You both know these people. They have to make an example when people steal from them."

"You could talk to them! You used to be in the game. Make them understand that we don't know anything!" I pleaded with him, really hoping Guero had been right when he said we could trust this man with our lives.

"They already know you don't know anything. That's not the issue. If they can't let the man get away, imagine letting the women." He puffed on his cigar and sighed. I grabbed the tattoo on my arm where my burn scars were and rubbed them nervously.

My dad had decided I needed to be taught a lesson when I was younger and wouldn't stop crying. He'd told me, "You have nothing to cry about, but if you insist on crying, I'll give you something to cry about." I remember Guero wanting to kill him when he found out what he'd done to me.

"I'm sorry. I can't get involved." Epifanio said, there was a finality to his voice that made panic rise in my chest.

"No!" Teresa and I both shouted in unison.

"Guero promised us! He said you'd help us!" I cried out, feeling myself falling apart. "He said bring him the book and trade it for your lives! He said that!"

Epifanio stood up, holding the book in one hand and his cigar in the other. He looked at us both as more of an inconvenience then anything else. "I'm sorry. I can't help you." He turned and walked out the door leaving us standing there alone and helpless.

Teresa grabbed the bag off the pew beside her and pulled her gun out, clicking off the safety.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, my mind spinning out into another dimension.

"Trust me. Follow my lead." She instructed, before turning and running out the door.

I followed after her, pausing only when I saw her standing in front of Epifanio's Escalade. The headlights encased her frame, making her look even smaller than she actually was.

Epifanio got out of the car and slowly approached her.

"What are you doing, Teresa?" He questioned, annoyance evident in his tone.

Teresa raised the gun to her head and I stepped forward more. "Teresa!" I yelled, panicking. What the hell was she doing?

"I don't have anybody else, but Quinn. You have to help us. Say no, and I'll die right here, right now." She pressed the barrel of the gun into her head. I could see her hand shaking from here and see the tears sliding down her face.

"Put down the gun, Teresa." Epifanio tried to reason with her.

"If I'm already dead, I'd rather do the job myself. At least then Quinn can use it to her advantage to survive." Teresa spat back at him vehemently. I didn't understand what she meant at first, but then it clicked in my brain. If Teresa shot herself in front of the future Governor of Sinaloa it would be bad for his election.

A dead woman lying at his feet. Who wouldn't suspect him?

"It will be on your conscience…because one way or another I will haunt the living shit out of you." Teresa snapped, coming undone. The thought of her actually pulling the trigger sent me running forward.

"It wouldn't look so great for a governor if an eyewitness said he pulled the trigger too." I added, playing along. Men like Epifanio only work so many ways and blackmail was one of those ways.

Epifanio shook his head, letting his hands fall to his sides. "Do you have passports? Money?"

"Yes!" Teresa said through clenched teeth, still gripping the gun. She lowered it slightly.

"Give me the gun. Let's go." Epifanio said, stepping forward cautiously.

Teresa handed him the gun and looked at me. I could have killed her for threatening to take her own life, but I didn't blame her for wanting to do so. Teresa got into the front passenger seat, leaving me to sit in the back with Epifanio.

••••••

At some point I'd closed my eyes and fell asleep against the window. The events of today replayed in my head in a dreamy haze. The sound of the explosion in my head snapped me awake with a gasp. I kicked the front seat with my foot and clawed the window unaware of where I was.

"Q, it's okay! You're okay! You were dreaming." Teresa's calming voice filled my ears. My eyes focused on her twisted in her seat to look at me. She reached back and touched my knee, letting me know she was real and here with me.

I grasped her hand, tightly.

I finally realized we were stopped. The driver and Epifanio weren't in the car. "What's going on?" I croaked out, my voice cracking. "How long have I been asleep? Where are we going."

"You've been out for an hour or so. I'm not sure where we're headed. They stopped to take a piss break, but they've been out there for a while." Teresa said, gazing out the front windshield.

I shifted so I could see around the seat. Both men had their backs to us. Epifanio turned slightly, clearly holding a phone to his ear. Once he noticed us watching he turned back around. "Who the fuck is he on the phone with?"

"I don't know." Teresa whispered back. "Something's changed though. I can feel it."

I checked the back of the seats for a gun and felt under the seats as well and came up with nothing. Teresa checked the dash and pulled out a hand gun. She handed it back to me and grabbed the one out of the drivers jacket lying on the console next to her.

The men turned and started to make their way back to the car. "Keep it hidden. When I tap my leg, pull it." She said quietly and quickly keeping her head down, so not to draw attention to herself.

I knew we couldn't trust this bastard. I knew it in my gut. My gut is never wrong. Ever.

I slid the gun down beside the door and my seat, clicking the safety off.

Epifanio climbed in the back at the same time the driver got back inside the vehicle. He started the car and we were off. It was dark out, but I could tell we were heading back towards the city because I could see the lights in the distance. I kept my eyes on Teresa's leg though. Waiting for her to give me a signal.

A few minutes passed and she tapped her leg, it was a small movement that only I saw because I was waiting for it. Slowly, without a word I rose my gun and pointed it towards Epifanio, while Teresa pointed hers at the driver.

Epifanio didn't look surprised at all. In fact he remained calm, not so much as shifting away from the barrel pointed straight at his face. He simply turned his head to look at me. "What are you two doing? Put that down, Quincy." He raised his hands in a surrendering motion, making me think he was going to try and take the gun out of my hand. I shifted so I was sitting sideways a little with my back against the window slightly.

"Stop the car." Teresa demanded, keeping her gun pointed at the driver who said nothing, but kept driving, speeding up slightly. "I said stop the car!"

"You two don't have to do this. You're safe." Epifanio tried to reason with us. We were passed being reasoned with.

"Tell him to stop the fucking car!" I yelled, my finger dangerously close to pulling the trigger.

In an instant the car swerved and Epifanio reached for the gun, twisting my arm in the process to get it out of my hand. As we fought for the gun I could see the driver reaching for Teresa. I heard the sound of her gun go off and felt something wet hit me. The car careened to the left and before I knew what was happening the car was rolling.

Metal crunching and glass breaking and screams rang out in my ears along with the deafening sound of the gunshot beforehand and then everything went black.

••••••

A incessant beeping sound lulled me back into consciousness, slowly. I opened my heavy eyes one at a time, slightly confused as to why everything look turned sideways. My head was pounding loudly in my ears. Something stung on my forehead, I reached up and touched it, wincing, pulling my hand back to see that it was covered in blood.

Desert sand stretched out to my left where a window should have been. The events of yesterday came back to me in small waves. The phone call about Guero being dead. Running, a lot of running. Getting separated from Brenda and Tony. An explosion.

The accident.

"Teresa?" I said, coughing horrendously. My throat felt dry and sore.

I could hear glass crunching and someone moaning. I turned my head to see Epifanio coming too.

"Teresa!" I called out again, coughing even more.

"I'm here, Quinn. I'm coming around to get you out." Teresa called back to me, her voice hoarse.

I wiggle my fingers and toes making sure nothing was broken even though I felt an immense amount of pain all over my body. Teresa knelt down beside the broken open window and slowly helped pull my body out of the crush car.

We collapsed beside each other on the ground. I was practically lying on Teresa. "Are you okay?" She asked, sitting us both up. I felt stiff and disoriented. I probably had a concussion.

"I think so. My head hurts." I quickly surveyed her for injuries and noticed a sizeable gash on her leg, her jeans stained with blood. "Jesus! Are you okay?"

Teresa looked down at her leg as we somehow managed to pull ourselves up to our feet. "I don't even feel it."

"Once the adrenaline wears off you will. You need a hospital." I said, hunching over placing my hands on my knees, unable to stand completely upright just yet.

"No hospitals. We need to get out of here before someone comes looking for him." Teresa gestured to Epifanio. He was just opening his eyes now.

I glanced around and noticed we were in the middle of nowhere and it was morning. "How long were we out?"

"A few hours." Teresa said, limping around to the other side of the destroyed Escalade. It was lying on its roof like a matchbox car tossed aside by a five year old.

I followed Teresa around the car.

Epifanio was coughing and sputtering, looking up at us. His eyes landed on a gun lying not to far from him and Teresa dove and grabbed it before he could, stumbling back, keeping it pointed at him.

"Help me!" He whispered. There was a gash on his forehead and blood around his lips where he'd spit blood out of his mouth. "Help me, Teresa."

When Teresa made no attempt towards him, his deep brown sinister eyes landed on me. "Quincy. Help me!"

"If we stay, you'll kill us." Teresa spat at him.

"If you leave me, you'll die. That's a promise." Epifanio replied to her, coughing and hacking, clutching his stomach.

"We were dead the moment we called you. You never intended to help us anyway." I shot out, not caring anymore. Guero respected this man, but I don't have to.

"You help me…" Epifanio shifted and moaned in pain. "I'll keep you both safe."

Teresa and I shared a glance. I shook my head, stumbling back on my feet a little. My legs still felt like jello. I stepped forward and knelt down looking at Epifanio. He didn't look to banged up. Even if we left him, someone would come for him. He'd still live.

"Help me. Come on." Epifanio whispered, extending his hand out to me. I stared at it, unsure.

Then without debating any longer I grabbed the bag Guero had given us and the leather bound book hidden with secrets. I stood up, gripping the bag and tossing the book inside.

"Let's go." Teresa instructed.

"You're dead. Both of you." Epifanio threatened.

"Then consider us goddam ghosts." I said as my final parting words.

Everything in me wanted to grab the gun out of Teresa's hand and put a bullet in his head. It was his fault Guero was dead and we were in this mess. Well, mostly his fault.

I wrapped my arm around Teresa to give her support and we started to walk away. We could see a highway and small houses off in the distance, but they had to be miles away from where we were in the desert.

••••••

Teresa and I had been trudging along for probably two hours. The sun blazed down directly on us, frying us like two eggs on the hood of a car. I'd wrapped my plaid button up around Teresa's leg, to prevent it from bleeding any more. We were exhausted, physically and emotionally, but kept pushing forward.

"Do you see that?" I asked, pointing off in the distance in front of us. It looked like a small store or gas station of some kind. It was the first thing we'd seen along this dirt road since we started walking. "Please tell me it's not a mirage."

"No, I see it too." Teresa said.

We managed to hobble along even faster at the site of the gas station and potential aspect of finding a phone to call for help. Although, I'm not sure who we'd even call. A brow mutt of a dog approached us as we walked towards the store. An old man, maybe in his sixties, eyed us suspiciously. He pushed himself to his feet slowly, his bones aching and crunching along with the chair he'd gotten out of.

"Necesitmos ayuda." I spoke in Spanish, unsure of whether he spoke English or not. I told him we needed help.

"Agua?" I questioned him again.

Part of me wondered if he could even see us, his cowboy hat hung so low over his eyes.

He pointed off to our right at a small water well sticking up out of the ground. I smiled, gratefully. "Gracias!"

Teresa and I made our way over to the water well and turned it on, each of us taking small sips of the cool water. I felt the liquid go all the way down into my empty stomach and instantly hunched over and puked it back up. Teresa did the same, but was able to keep down more then I could.

The old man whistled, getting our attention. He motioned for us to join him on the porch of the gas station, so we did. He pointed at an empty chair for Teresa to sit down in.

I helped her into the chair, taking note of how much she winced as she grabbed her leg. The old man sat down in front of her and carefully examined her leg.

"Puedes ayudarla?" I wondered allowed if he'd be able to help her at all.

He nodded his head, giving me a glimmer of hope.

"I'm gonna go use the bathroom. Okay?" I told Teresa. She reached up and squeezed my hand, nodding.

I found my way around the building and into the bathroom. I leaned against the door after I closed it and slid down onto my butt, tears falling from my eyes. I hugged my knees and screamed into them. When I opened my eyes this morning I'd hoped it was all a dream. But it wasn't.

The ache in my chest was throbbing. My head was pounding and all I wanted to do was die. It felt like my insides were dying already. What the hell are we gonna do? Where are we supposed to go? We can't go home. We have no family to speak of other then Brenda and Tony. Were they even alive?

After allowing myself a moment to fall apart I picked myself up off the disgusting dirty bathroom floor and walked over to the grungy sink bolted onto the wall. I turned the knobs and waited for the water to come pouring out. I rubbed it up my arms and around my neck.

The coolness of the water against my hot skin felt incredible.

There was a tiny mirror hanging on the wall to the right of the sink. It was cracked and faded, but even through all that I could see my reflection. Blood was dried on my forehead where I'd banged my head in the accident, but I also had splatters of it all over the side of my face and in my hair. I was pretty sure that blood belonged to Epifanio's driver.

Feeling another wave of pain and tears washing over me I gripped the sink and knelt down telling myself in my head it's gonna be okay.

The bathroom door opening startled me, causing me to whip around and see Teresa staring back at me.

"Are you okay?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm totally great." I lied, half laughing.

She smiled weakly at my sarcastic defense mechanism.

"Now what?" I tossed my hands in the air.

"Now we survive. No matter what." She said, sternly.

We heard a vehicle pull up outside and doors slamming. Men were yelling in Spanish. Their voices getting louder as they got closer. They had to be looking for us. I grabbed the bag out of Teresa's hand and pulled the leather bound book out of it.

I glanced around the tiny bathroom frantically.

"What are you doing?" Teresa hissed, glancing at the door.

I shoved open one of the bathroom stall doors and climbed up onto the toilet, jamming the book up onto the cement ledge by a long pipe. "Making us an insurance policy!" I shoved it back out of sight and practically fell off the toilet as the bathroom door was busted open.

If we were found with the book we'd surely be killed. But if the book was somewhere else it was a bargaining chip we could use for our lives just like Guero had said it would be.

Two men came at us. Teresa and I screamed and yelled and fought as they dragged us out of the bathroom. I didn't recognize the men dragging us towards a red chevy van. Did the old man call them? Did he know Epifanio? My mind swirled with questions as we were tossed into the back of the van. Our hands were zip tied behind us and bags were placed over our heads, leaving us completely in the dark once again. I felt a slight prick in my arm and the van started to move.

••••••

I came too sometime later. I wasn't sure how much time had passed. My arm stung like I'd been given a needle and I realized I must have been drugged with something. I was slung over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I lifted my head to get a different view other then this guys ass and could see that I was in a warehouse of some sort. The dim lighting made it hard to figure out much else.

I squirmed and wiggled. "Let me go!"

"Let me go!" I yelled again.

The man carrying me stopped and dropped me onto my feet. He smirked at me, eyeing every inch of my body. He walked towards me and pushed me against the wall. "Only way I'd even consider letting you go, is if you get on those knees, bebita."

"I can do that." I whispered, playing along, trying to figure out what the fuck to do next.

"Get to it then." The man said, glancing up and down the hallway. No one else was around. He was old, maybe in his forties, and looked like he hadn't washed his slicked back hair in weeks. He had a beer belly and the smell of beer radiated off of him.

I bit my lip and looked down at the bulge in his pants trying not to vomit. "You know it'll be a lot better if you untie my hands." I told him sweetly, taking in my surroundings. Where the hell was Teresa?

The guy in front of me rested his hand on the gun strapped to his side and smirked. He grabbed me and spun me around, slamming me into the cement wall. I heard the sound of a knife flicking open and felt his body pressed up against my back. "I should slit your throat, but I might as well get off beforehand."

He cut my hands free and spun me back around.

I rubbed my wrists. They were red and starting to blister.

"Thank you." I batted my eyelashes.

There was no way in hell I was giving this fucking asshole a blow job, but I was getting my hand on his gun. I stepped closer to him and ran my hands down his arms and up again, standing on my tip toes to kiss the side of his neck. I let my hands run down his chest over his stomach, stopping at his belt.

"Get on with it." He snapped.

While one hand undid his jeans the other unbuttoned his gun holster. I kissed his neck again on the left side this time and taking the only chance I had, kneed him in the groin and grabbed his gun.

I clicked the safety off and pointed it at him.

"You stupid bitch!" He yelled, falling backwards.

"Where's my friend? The girl I was with?" I demanded, feeling my heart hammering and thudding in my chest. If I hadn't just pulled that off I'd probably be dead right now.

"I swear to god I will shoot you!" I spoke through gritted teeth. "Where is she?"

A loud bang echoed in the distance, followed by the sound of indistinct conversation. A group of men rounded the corner, the same corner I'd just been carried around.

"James!" The guy in front of me yelled, catching the attention of a guy in a leather jacket walking in the middle of the other men.

He spotted me and the gun on his guy and I knew I was screwed. I took off down the hallway, going the only way I could go. I heard footsteps pounding against the ground as someone came after me. I kept running until I hit a dead end. There was one door and it was locked.

"Fuck!" I yelled, pounding on the door.

The guy that had been running after me finally caught up to me. I heard him behind me. I heard the all to familiar sound of a gun being pulled too.

"Drop it." He demanded, his voice was strong, but had a small amount of tiredness to it.

"Fuck you!" I snapped, turning around, finally facing him.

When I did I was surprised to see someone I knew staring back at me. I hadn't seen him in a long time and it was only once. Six months ago at a Christmas party. He looked just as taken aback by me as I did him.

"Put it down. I don't wanna shoot you. But I will if I have to do so." He said, stepping forward.

I looked down at the gun I was gripping in my hand and felt completely helpless. If I was gonna die anyway, I might as well just do it myself. At least I'd be with my brother. The thought of raising the gun to my head and pulling the trigger seemed like a great idea the longer I stared at it. I wasn't expecting to look up and see this guy James standing so close to me.

He'd lowered his gun and reached out and took the one out of my hand. I watched him tuck the guns into the back of the waistband of his jeans.

"Let's go!" He barked, grabbing my arm.

Warm tears slid down my cheeks and I didn't even try to stop them or hide them. He lead me back towards the guys he was with and the guy I'd kicked in the groin.

"You stupid fucking bitch!" Groin guy came at me and slapped me across the face. "I ought to…" James had swiflty and effortlessly pulled one of the hand guns out of the waistband of his jeans and pointed it at the guy that had just busted my lip open. His grip on my arm tightened as he kept the gun pointed directly at groin guys face.

"You ought to what? Jose? Huh? Your job was to unload them? Not fuck them." James snapped.

"She caught me off guard. I wasn't doing anything." Groin guy lied.

"Bullshit. I knew what was going on the moment I walked around the fucking corner. Now take her to the cell with the other one. And I swear to god if you touch another fucking hair on her head without instruction to do so, I'll shoot you myself. Camila warned you once." James shoved me forward towards Jose. He glared at James and took my arm roughly.

As Jose dragged me away, I couldn't help but look back at James. He was looking at me too until our eyes met, then he looked away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you SO much for the lovely reviews! It means so much to me! I promise the next chapter will have a TON of James and Quinn! Do you guys think he remembers her? ;)**

 **Chapter 4: Pilot Part Four**

 **Quinn's Point of View**

The man named Jose that James had handed me off to a few moments ago, zip tied my hands behind my back again before grabbing my arm and yanking me through the locked door I had been beating on moments ago when I tried to make my grand escape. I had a fucking gun in my hand and I let James take it right out of my hand. I froze. Seeing him made me seize up any fight I had in me. It knocked the adrenaline right out of me.

Did he recognize me? Is that why he didn't just shoot me? Did I creep into his memory like he did mine from time to time since Christmas? Because he totally never creeped into mine. At all. Ever. Only at night when I couldn't sleep and I'd look over and see that damn jacket he'd given me thrown over the arm chair in the corner of my room.

Guero teased me relentlessly about keeping it. "Throw it away." He'd say. But I couldn't. For some reason I liked having some handsome dark brooding strangers jacket.

I liked looking at the sweet nameless guys jacket. I'm not crazy, I swear. Hell, maybe I am. But aren't we all a little crazy at one point or another? Least now I knew his name. James. It seemed fitting. I wasn't so sure if he was as sweet as I had pegged him out to be now though.

He was the last person I expected to see here of all places. But I should have known that he would be into this shady shit, he was at the same Christmas party as Guero and that's all those men there were involved in.

Jose led me by the elbow down a series of dank dark hallways that led into a huge spacious warehouse. Chain link fencing was being used to separate certain areas off. The fluorescent lighting didn't give much other detail away. As I walked my eyes tried to take in as much as possible though, squinting my eyes in the dark. I saw women wearing masks weighing or packaging a white substance in one area.

Cocaine, I assumed. What else would it be?

When I glanced forward I saw Teresa sitting at a metal table with her hands behind her back. Her head was down, like maybe she was resting. That didn't stop me from calling out to her, "Teresa!"

Her eyes snapped up and I could see relief washing over her features as it washed through me in waves. She looked like a caged dog behind the chain link fencing. Jose dragged me forward and shoved me inside, shutting the gate behind him, spitting at my boots.

"Fuck you, too, asshole!" I shot out! Jose glared at me as he walked away. I probably shouldn't have insulted him like that, but something told me since James said I was hands off, he wasn't going to do anything.

James must be above him. Good.

"Quinn!" Teresa said, capturing my attention.

She stood up and walked over to me and we looked at each other. I wanted to hug her, but that was kind of hard to do with my hands tied behind my back.

"Follow me." Teresa said, quietly. She led me behind a shelf holding some sort of liquid in containers, out of sight of prying eyes. She backed up to the shelf and started to saw off her zip ties. "You can use the edge of the metal shelf to break free."

Her hands were free within a few seconds.

I noticed the sharp edge of the metal shelf she was talking about and backed up to it and did the same thing she did, wincing a little when the band dug into my wrists. It got tighter before it finally snapped and I was free.

Teresa enveloped me in a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and fought back the tears I desperately wanted to let fall. "Where are we?" I asked, my voice sounding so small for the first time since we started running.

"I don't know, exactly." Teresa said, pulling back, looking me over for injuries. She cupped my cheeks in her hands and gave me a weak smile. "We're gonna be okay."

I nodded my head and felt her wipe away a tear that had broken free from my eye.

We stepped out from behind the shelves. We were pretty isolated in the back of the warehouse. From the looks of it they just tossed us into some sort of storage area.

"Let me know if someone starts to come this way." Teresa whispered. I nodded and watched her walk over to the disgusting, once white, sink on the wall. There was a mirror hanging over it that had seen better days.

I looked forward. No one was even paying attention to us all the way back here. I could vainly here indistinct noises coming from other areas of the warehouse, but couldn't actually see anyone.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, confused.

Teresa studied the mirror, then without warning, slammed her fist into it. The glass shattered, extremely loudly. "Teresa!" I hissed, "Someone had to have heard that."

Yet, no one came running. I was being paranoid. Could you blame me though?

Teresa picked up a piece of the glass and handed it to me, before taking a piece for herself.

"We're not going down without a fight." She said, sitting down at the table like she had been when I got tossed in here with her. I followed her lead and sat down next to her, holding the piece of glass behind my back like my hands were still tied.

"Now what?" I whispered.

"We wait and see what's gonna happen next. If it comes down to it, we claw our way out of here." Teresa said, looking at me sternly, "you do whatever it takes."

••••••

It felt like we'd been sitting in this cage forever. My muscles were sore and felt like they weight a thousand pounds. I was exhausted and so was Teresa. We'd been running nonstop for almost two days now, it was catching up to us, in more ways than one.

I glanced to my left, stretching my neck and looked down at Teresa's hands gripping the shard of glass. She was holding it so tight, it was cutting into her palm. Crimson blood dripped onto the concrete floor a drop at a time. I pulled my knees up to my chest and rest my chin on my knee.

We heard a door opening and shutting and then two men appeared at the end of the warehouse opposite of us, followed by a semi petite woman in a red dress. Her expensive heels clicked and clacked, echoing as she walked towards us. One of her men opened the chain link fence door to our cage and she paused in the entryway, the light finally hitting her in the face.

I recognized this woman. Her homely face and thin lips. The stark raven cropped hair that framed her face so perfectly. If anything was out of place in this warehouse it was her. The last time I'd seen her was at Epifanio's Christmas bash. This was his fucking wife, Camila.

She studied Teresa and I and clasped her hands together in front of her. She sighed, taking note of the broken mirror behind us. Camila walked forward and behind us, crouching down to remove the glass from our hands. She tossed it into the sink, then took a seat in front of us.

I stretched my arms and rested them on my knees, eyeing her. Why the hell is she here? Where the fuck is here? I was tired and frustrated and almost to my breaking point.

"Give me your hand." Camila spoke to Teresa, holding out her own with a white rag in it.

Reluctantly Teresa gave in and outstretched her arm across the table, allowing Camila to wrap her bloodied hand. Teresa pulled her hand away and Camila's brown eyes fell upon me. A few silent moments passed between us all, bring the awkward level up to a hundred. She was sizing us up, just like we were her.

She's Epifanio's wife, so I don't trust her by default.

"The gas station you two stumbled upon is in my mule route." Camila finally spoke. She had a very thick Spanish accent and a raspy voice making me hang onto every word she spoke. "My people always tell me anything strange they stumble upon. Curiously enough, you found them."

Teresa and I remained silent.

"My husband has been leaving me messages. He said he was in an accident. He's looking for two young women. You are those two women, yes?" Camila pointed between us, waiting for either of us to react. I kept my face neutral and stared at the bracelets decorating Camila's wrists.

"I'll take that as a yes." A ghost of a smile appeared across her hawk like face.

She zeroed in on us, studying our faces. "I know the two of you. Where do I know you from?"

Teresa and I shared a glance, before Teresa spoke. "We met you at your house. At Christmas. I was Guero's girlfriend and this…" Teresa looked at me.

"I'm Guero's sister. I was." I corrected myself.

"Was?" Camila asked, furrowing her dark brows.

"My brothers dead." I snapped back at her, looking her directly in her beady little hawk eyes.

Camila relaxed back into her chair, never breaking eye contact with me. "What were you two doing at such an out of the way place?" Her eyebrow arched in question. "You were running."

I let my feet drop down to the floor and rested my elbows on the table, staring her down.

"Did my husband really chase you all the way out into the desert? Why would he do such a thing?" Camila asked, leaning forward and mimicking my stance.

"Maybe because your husbands a prick, that's why." I leaned back in my seat and glared at her. "It's a shame he didn't bleed out."

Camila smirked at that statement. Something told me I wasn't the only one that wished the bastard had died. Camila rose from her seat and headed out of the cage. "Take them downstairs." She instructed one of her men.

"Where are we?" Teresa questioned before Camila got to far away. She spun on her Gucci heels and returned to the cage with a semi wicked smirk on her face.

"Where are my manners. Dallas, Texas. Welcome to America." And with that she turned on her heel and strolled off.

I looked at Teresa. "America? I'm sure we're gonna love it here." I shot out sarcastically.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I hope you like this chapter! It's got lots of Quinn and James towards the end! Review and let me know what you think? :)**

 **Chapter 5: Forty Minute Mule**

 **Quinn's Point of View**

The events that took place over the past twenty four hours played back seamlessly on a loop in my head in vivid detail, even as I slept. The phone call. God, that damn phone call. Guero's dead. Those words will forever echo in my mind until the day that I die…which my might sooner than you think, my inner voice shot out inside my head. None of it seems real though. It all feels like some weird dream. Except deep down I know this is my new reality even in my dream.

I was in the middle of going through answering the phone call when I felt something or rather someone shaking my shoulder. "Quinn. Wake up." My eyes remained closed, keeping me in a permanent state of darkness. I'd just dropped the cell phone. We were running, only it wasn't men nipping at our heels it was wolves. "Quinn, baby, wake up." Teresa's voice continued and so did the shaking.

My eyes snapped open just as I was about to be bitten and I sat up with a start, feeling tears streaming down my cheeks. My hands were shaking, my heart was pounding. Teresa looked at me with her beautiful brown doe eyes. "You were crying in your sleep."

"I didn't even realize…" I let my voice trail off into nothing, looking around the dimly lit warehouse.

I had no idea what time it was, but the sun shining through the frosted block glass windows on the far wall told me maybe mid to late afternoon. You could see dust circling through the air in the tiny rays of light that fought their way through the frosted texture of the windows. Bird wings flapped together loudly overhead, startling me, making me look up. I sat up more and leaned against the chain link fence Teresa was leaning against. We were sitting on a ripped up old mattress. The whole chained off area was full of mattresses on the floor. Some were empty while others were occupied by women. A clothes line hung across the section and I watched two women hang their clothes up to dry.

The sound of a woman moaning made me glance to my left over into another section. A young woman, probably a little older than me was being shot up with heroine by a man. All of the sights and sounds bombarded me. I wanted to go home. I wanted my bed. My fluffy duvet. My horses. My brother. I wanted to rewind the last twenty some hours and re-record over everything that's happened, but that's not how life works. Most times, you don't get any do overs.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked, yawning, tucking my knees up under my chin to make myself seem smaller.

The smaller you are, the less chance you have of becoming a target. I learned that when I was little.

"You've been out all night and most of today. I slept on and off, some." Teresa sighed. "We need to get out of here."

"Agreed." I nodded, keeping my voice down. Everyone else was speaking in Spanish around us. They all seemed, okay, with being here. As if they had a choice in the matter. Maybe some did, but I'm sure others didn't. "How though? This place is guarded." I gestured to the men circling around the warehouse carrying automatic rifles.

"Stay here." Teresa patted my knee as she stood up.

I did as she said and watched as she crept slowly across the room towards a guard sitting at a table on the other side of the fence. "Excuse me? I need to speak with Camila." She said, before I even knew what was happening the man had grabbed his gun and jammed the butt of it into the fence and Teresa's face, sending her flying backwards onto the ground, knocking over some girls makeshift nightstand.

"Damn you, bitch! Don't mess up my shit!" She shouted, immediately on her knees picking up her things.

I was at Teresa's side within a second kneeling in front of her. "Are you okay?" I asked, horrified that this is where we were. Teresa flipped her raven hair out of her face and looked at me, revealing a bloody lip.

I wiped blood off her lip with my finger and then rubbed it on my jeans.

"Come on…" I ushered her back over to our bed and sat next to her.

Silence was going to be our friend here, that much I could tell.

- **QUEEN OF THE SOUTH** -

Teresa and I sat close together taking in our surroundings quietly. The birds flying overhead kept swooping down and squawking then resting on the rafters above. One of them kept looking down at me, almost mocking me.

I flipped it the finger. "Fuck you, bird."

Teresa chuckled beside me, making me laugh a little in return.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, pulling a half eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a bag out from under the thing that was supposed to be a pillow but looked more like an old potato sack bag.

I waved my hand, shaking my head. "You eat it. I'm not hungry." I lied, feeling my stomach growling at the site of it. I didn't think I could keep it down right now and didn't want to waste it by throwing it back up.

Teresa slid the bag back under the pillow.

"America sucks." Teresa blurted out.

"I personally don't know why we didn't come here sooner." I mocked, grinning weakly. Sardonic humor has always been a coping mechanism for me, even as a kid. Guero used to tell me I was weird for it.

A young girl approached us cautiously. She looked maybe like she was in her mid twenties. "Hi. You looked like you could use this." She extended a white washcloth out to Teresa.

Teresa took it hesitantly. "Gracias."

"My name's Aveline." She smiled, tucking some dark brown hair behind her ear.

"Quinn." I introduced myself, nodding my head at her.

"Teresa." Teresa spoke, dabbing the washcloth over her busted lip.

"Are you two pro's or mules?" Aveline questioned. It took me a minute to realize she meant a prostitute.

"Neither." Teresa answered for the both of us.

Aveline nodded. For being where we are, she looked healthy and well cared for. Her clothes looked newer and her face wasn't bruised like some of the other girls, Teresa included.

She knelt down in front of us, eye level now. "Do you guys even know where you are?" She had a very light beautiful voice.

"Dallas, Texas." I answered this time. The sound of train blaring its horn went off in the distance, making me jump a little. I felt afraid of my own damn skin.

Aveline sighed, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was within earshot. "My advice to you, to the both of you? The guy that just gave you that." She pointed to Teresa's busted lip. "That asshole, he's the nicest guy in here. Just stick close to me and I'll help you both out."

She looked directly at us and seemed genuine enough. She was the first person that's even talked to us like human beings. I studied her though, wondering why she would want to help us. She must have noticed my hesitation to trust her because she gave me a weak smile and explained herself a bit more. "I help a lot of the girls here. You know if you follow my lead, you'll see. I'm a mule now, so I get some things the other girls don't get. Better food. Better money. And sure," she looked down at her feet, "sometimes I got to do some things for them, but it's good to stay quiet around here."

Aveline held up a small child's mouse toy and rattled it. "You know, like a mouse." She placed it on my knee, gently. "Do either of you have any kids?"

Teresa and I shook our head no.

"I've got a son in El Paso, I'm gonna get back to him. This is gonna be fine, guys. I promise." She nodded her head. I wondered if she truly believed that or if it was just something she was saying to us and to herself to make it through the day.

"I really hope you get back to your son." I told her, lifting the tiny mouse toy off my knee.

"Follow me and you'll turn out just like me, okay? I gotta go on a run to the airport today, but when I get back I'll take care of you guys." Aveline smiled again. She held up a PB&J sandwich. "Hungry?"

"No, thank you." I smiled.

She offered it to Teresa next.

"I'm okay, Gracias." Teresa said.

"You sure…" Aveline singsonged, smiling.

She sort of froze for a moment, a far off look appeared on her face. I noticed how her pupils looked incredibly huge, almost like they'd burst. "Are you okay?" I asked, reaching forward towards her just as she fell into Teresa and I.

We lied her back on the concrete floor wondering what the hell was happening. I felt for a pulse. "She's not breathing!" I panicked, my voice shaking.

"Hey! There's something wrong with her!" Teresa yelled, as I started to try to do CPR on her. I sort of knew what I was doing because I'd learned how to perform CPR on horses in one of my college classes.

"No! No! No!" A man yelled, followed by a set of rushed footsteps. "Ugh! Not again!"

I was about to blow air into her mouth when a man grabbed me by the shoulders and tossed me back. "What are you doing? She needs help!" I yelled, panic rising in my voice.

"Aw, she's dead! They burst again! The burst!" A guy with short tight curly hair yelled, resting his hands on his knees. "Get her up!" He instructed. "Come on! Come on! Come on! Go!" Two men grabbed Aveline by the shoulders and feet and carried her quickly out of the area and into another area, dropping her on a metal table like she was nothing.

"What are you doing?" I yelled, attempting to go after them. A guy with a rifle grabbed me by the arm and shoved me back towards Teresa. "She needs a hospital! Help her! Do something!"

We stood on the other side of the fence, gripping it and watched as the curly haired dude grabbed a knife and jammed it into Aveline's stomach. You could hear the sound of the blade crunching through her bones from where we stood. That sound alone made bile inch up into the back of my throat. Teresa and I watched horrified as the blade was removed covered in blood and replaced by a hand. "Give me something. Give me something, baby. Come on!"

The curly haired guy removed his bloody hand and slung small baggies of coke onto the table, then quickly dove back in. She was a mule. Something went horribly wrong. I covered my mouth with my hand and stifled a cry as Teresa gripped my shirt, pulling me back.

"Let's go!" She hissed in my ear. I glanced at her and then noticed the open door leading outside. "Go!"

We made a break for the half open warehouse garage door, reaching it within seconds. "Woah! Hey! Hey! Get back here!" Men yelled behind us, followed by heavy footfalls.

Teresa made it under the door and I followed. The sunlight blinded me momentarily, but I quickly regained my bearings and ran after Teresa. We were on a loading dock of some sort.

"The fence!" I yelled, pointing out a gate at the end of the dock.

"Stop running, bitches!" The men behind us yelled, running after us.

Teresa and I made it to the gate only to find it locked. I shook the fence. "Fuck!"

"Up! We go up." Teresa grabbed my hand and drug me up a flight of stairs to the next level. Going up didn't seem like the best thing to do, but it was our only choice.

More men came out of the warehouse on that level with guns forcing us to go up yet another level. My heart was pounding loudly in my ears. A cold sweat had broken out over my entire body. My legs felt like cement with each step, but I kept running.

We reached the top of the stairs and were startled when a guy with a gun appeared at the landing above. We were surrounded from the front and back. Without thinking Teresa climbed over the railing and jumped onto the shanty roof of a shed below. I was about to go over the railing when I felt an arm wrap around my waist and pull me back just as Teresa fell through the roofing off another shed.

"Get off of me!" I screamed, fighting back, kicking and screaming all the way back inside and into a locked cell.

A few minutes later Teresa was brought in too.

- **QUEEN OF THE SOUTH** -

Once again we were locked up and tossed to the side. We spent thirty minutes waiting in silence for whatever was set to happen to us next. I was leaning against the chain link fence next to the gate when I heard the definitive sound of heels hitting concrete. I glanced over my shoulder to see Camila coming our way, followed by James and the man that gutted Aveline like a fish and a few others.

The site of James made me perk up for some reason. I don't know why. Maybe because he showed me mercy last night when he didn't shoot me and told Jose not to touch me.

"How many did we lose?" Camila snapped, irritation evident in her tone.

"We lost two bags." The unorthodox coroner spoke.

"Why do they keep bursting? Camila snapped again, wanting answers quicker then he was giving them.

"It's the new chemist. He still doesn't know why they keep bursting."

James stood quietly behind Camila. When he moved it was to cross his arms over his chest. His eyes found mine and lingered briefly, but he looked away. It seemed like he had to force himself to do it though.

"Why are you calling him the new chemist? He's the old chemist now. And since you found him, you can tell him, Charger." Camila seethed. Charger the coroner nodded his head. "Han's plane is leaving soon. Have you thought of a way to deliver to him yet."

"Well, no. It basically happened just now." Charger replied. He ran a hand along the back of his neck. It was clear Camila's presence made him nervous. Probably because she had more balls then he did.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Han was the buyer for the drugs in Aveline's stomach. That's who she was going to deliver to at the airport today like she mentioned before she…

"Let's figures it out then. Fast." James took over for Camila who was now heading directly for Teresa and I.

I moved away from the gate and leaned against the block wall.

Camila strode through the gate after it was unlocked. Her presence was all consuming. She looked like she'd just come from a party. Her tight red and black dress hugged and accentuated her curves.

"So…you're runners." She smirked, eyeing Teresa and then me.

I stared straight ahead as she sat down at the table across from Teresa. She placed her iPhone on the table and hit a button. The phone rang a few times before a familiar voice filled the other end of the line.

"Yes, hello, my love." Epifanio said. His voice sent my blood boiling.

Teresa and I remained silent. Camila was making it known that she held our fate in her well manicured talons.

"Why are you sending me a stupid message at night about two girls?" Camila's voice purred into the phone.

"Just like I said. There's two girls I'm looking for." Epifanio said, giving her no new information. He sighed, almost as if he'd sat down perhaps. "I believe they may be traveling over the border into Texas. Teresa Mendoza and Quincy Davila. Do you remember them? Teresa was Guero's girlfriend and the other was his younger sister."

"I think so, yes." Camila replied calmly.

"They're probably smart enough to know that you are in Texas, so they know not to be there."

"What did they do." Camila leaned forward, glancing at me and then Teresa.

"Those puta's and Guero stole money from me. He's dead." The words stung my heart. I closed my eyes taking a deep breath.

"You need more money, sweetie." Camila was actually flirting it seemed or mocking.

"Enough of these people stealing from me. I have to send a message. You know what I'm talking about. It's about principles now. And you know I'm very principled, as any good leader of Mexico would be. Look, if you find them, let me know. Maybe I can do something nice for you in return." Epifanio said. I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him with my bare hands. I'd been clutching my hands into fists so hard my nails cut into my palms, leaving blood behind.

"I won't hold my breath." Camila said, then tapped the screen to end the call.

She relax back into her chair. "So, is that all Guero did to him? Steal?"

"I don't know anything." Teresa deadpanned her.

Camila glanced over to me against the wall. "I'm not my brothers keeper. I don't know what he did or didn't do. All I know is he's dead."

"You two must be worth more than money to my husband. I know him. Why does he want you dead so badly?" Camila wondered aloud more than asked.

He wants that book. I wasn't telling her that.

"I don't know. I'm just the girlfriend." Teresa spoke, staring Camila down.

"Well, since you're so good at being a girlfriend, you're about to become a girlfriend to a lot of men. You too." Camila looked at me, the corners of her red lipstick covered lips pulling up into a devilish smirk.

I knew what that meant and it wasn't happening.

Camila rose from her chair and stepped outside of the cage. "Drug them up and put them to work." In an instant the three men that had been talking to James rushed in the room.

Two went for Teresa. "No! No! No!" She screamed as the pinned her against the wall as she fought to break free from their grasp. Charger came at me, boxing me into a corner. I kicked him in the nuts, sending him groaning backwards, I pushed past him and ran straight into James arms.

He gripped them tightly, pushing me back into the room despite me slamming my hands against his chest. "Please, don't do this!" I begged, trying to look him in the eye, but he wouldn't do the same. He turned me around so my back was against him and held me by the waist and arm in front of him.

"Stop! Stop!" I screamed, watching them get ready to inject heroine into Teresa's arm. "Stop! Please!" I begged, trying to turn around and look at James. "Please don't do this!"

Camila held up her hand, pausing the situation. She walked over and stood in front of Teresa. "Do you remember something now? Something you did to Epifanio? With your boyfriend?"

Teresa stared straight ahead, like Camila was made of stone and said nothing. Camila gestured for them to continue and I watched Teresa struggle as they tied a band around the bend in her elbow.

Camila turned and started to walk out, dissatisfied with the lack of information she'd gotten out of us.

"Wait!" I screamed, "I'll do it!"

I didn't exactly know what I was even saying I just knew I had to keep Camila here. She had the power to control the men. If she was here she could stop this. But I had to give her something in return.

Camila, amused, turned on her heel and stood in front of me. James loosened his grip on my arm slightly and breathed in my ear.

"What could you possibly do for me?" Camila questioned. "Hm?"

"I'll deliver the drugs your mule couldn't. I'll do it. They need to be delivered soon, right? Send me!" I offered, voice shaking. James let go of me and stepped around me to look at me, finally. He looked at me like I was insane. Yeah, I'm the insane one here. Even so, heat flood to my cheeks for some reason.

"No!" Teresa yelled, still being pinned to the table.

"Well, if you heard us, then you know there's problems with the balloons." Camila pointed out, semi intrigued.

"I don't care. I'll take the risk."

"The police, as much as we know what they're doing, they know what we're doing. They could stop the car you're in."

"We can be more for you. I can be more for you. But I want something in return." I snapped back, staring Camila into her beady hawk like eyes. I felt like a mouse waiting to be pecked to death.

Camila laughed. "Where do you get off thinking you can make any demands here?"

"Because you need me. I'll be your mule, but in return Teresa and I don't prostitute. Ever. We mule." I offered, trying to make a deal with the she devil standing in high heels in front of me.

Camila closed her eyes and a brief wave of something passed over her face. Distaste mixed with a little bit of impressiveness. She opened her eyes and nodded at me. Then looked at James. "Prep her."

"Let her up." Camila said, referring to Teresa.

"It should be me." Teresa offered, trying to take my place. "I'll do it."

"No. It's her." Camila said, getting the final word.

"No offense, but what's the point. She'll just die too." James pointed at me looking at Camila.

"Don't worry about her." Camila shot out, like I was nothing. Well, I wasn't anything. I was dispensable. I could be thrown away like a piece of trash and it wouldn't matter. "Better her then the girl you've spent months training."

James acted like he almost took offense to fact that he may be somewhat worried about me. "I'm not worried about her." He replied, not looking at me. "I don't care about her. She's nothing. I care about getting those drugs to Han. But if she dies first, then whats the point?"

"You hired a chemist you shouldn't have. So you don't have any other choice then but to drive faster, now don't you? Han is an important client. He gets his shipment. And you? You can take comfort in knowing you had no other choice." Camila said. "Get her prepped, now." And with that she strolled off.

James gripped my arm. He finally looked at me. "You just signed your own death sentence."

"Can I say goodbye. Please." I glanced at Teresa and then back at James. If something went wrong, I'd end up just like Aveline, I was aware of the risks. But I couldn't stand by and let Camila turn us out.

Not after what Teresa has already been through with Gato.

James sighed heavily, rubbing his chin with one hand, but let go of my arm. I hugged Teresa tightly. "What are you doing?" She whispered in my ear.

"This is how we survive here. I can do this. I promise." I whispered back in her ear. "I'll be okay."

James grabbed my arm and pulled me back away from Teresa. Teresa and I shared one more glance that said all the words we didn't have to speak aloud. Teresa was family and she knew I loved her like a sister and I knew she loved me.

After a moment passed James led me through the warehouse past the sleeping area and into an inclosed section just off where they packaged their shipments of cocaine. He put me in front of a table next to Charger and walked over to a counter, keeping his back to me.

I glanced down at the table to see a container full of small plastic bags of cocaine. They weren't actually in bags though. They looked more like miniature bricks of cocaine. I picked one up, wondering how the hell I was gonna get it down. Nervously, my foot started tapping the concrete floor. It was no bigger then a carrot. I could do this. I had to do this.

"Look at the camera. You're gonna need a passport." James husky voice made my eyes snap up. A Nikon camera covered his face. He pressed the button and he camera fluttered.

"Change into this." He tossed a green tank top at me. I caught it quickly, examining it.

"Why?" I questioned aloud. Then I realized I should have kept my mouth shut.

James walked over to me and glared at me. "You wanna be a mule? Then do as you're told, when you're told to do it. No questions. Now change. We can't take the risk of some asshole realizing you're wearing the same shirt today that you have on in your passport photo."

He made a valid point, but he didn't have to be such a dick about it. I placed the green tank top on the table and unbuttoned my plaid shirt, shedding it from my body. James kept his eyes locked on me, making me even more nervous and self conscious as I pulled my black tank top over my head. I pulled the green one over my head as quickly as possible not wanting any of their eyes on me longer then need be.

James pushed past my shoulder and grabbed a container of orange juice out of a mini fridge behind me and a cup and sat it on the table in front of me. Camila waltzed into the area and stood on the opposite side of the table, sizing me up. She didn't think I could do this. Hell, I didn't even know if I could do this, but I had to.

"Take this." Charger small pill in the palm of my hand. I wanted to know what the fuck I was about to take, but glanced at James leaning against the table next to Camila and kept my mouth shut. "It's an anti acid to keep your stomach from eating away at the latex lining the coke." Charger explained, after a moment.

I poured myself a little orange juice and swallowed the pill.

"Let's go." Charger said, handing me the first of what looked like many pellets of coke.

I took the pellet and held it in front of my mouth, bouncing on the ball of my heels, biting my lip. I just need a minute to breath. I took a deep breath and let it out, then shoved the pellet into the back of my throat and chased it with orange juice. It hurt to swallow it, but somehow it managed to go down.

I did the next one and the next and the next and the next.

James had moved over to my side of the table and was watching me. I was on the twentieth pellet when I started coughing slightly because it got caught in my throat.

"Come on. Let's go. 22." He handed me the next one and I glared at him as I took it and shoved it down my throat.

"You're so encouraging you should become a fucking life coach." I blurted out, snatching the last pellet out of the bowl before he could hand it to me.

James scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. As I was swallowing the last pellet I couldn't help but take into account how well his shoulders filled out his leather jacket. "Now that's 23."

"Don't eat or drink anything else until those come up. Okay?" Charger instructed. I nodded. As if I had a choice. This wasn't like taking medication when you're sick. This could and probably will kill me if this asshole to my right doesn't get me to where I need to be fast enough.

Camila stayed silent and watched me.

"The plane leaves in about 40 minutes, you do understand they could dissolve before then, right?" James spoke, making me look up at him. He was taller then, like Guero. His deep brown eyes studied my face and I swore I almost sensed he was a little worried about me. Almost.

"Then I guess you better get me there." I said flatly.

James sighed and grabbed my arm, like I need to be rugged along beside him like some stubborn child that kept running off, following Camila to the door.

"This was on you when you arrived." She said, holding up a simple chain bracelet with a metal paper airplane charm on it. Guero had give it to me.

He loved planes. He flew one for Epifanio for god sakes. He was sixteen when he got his pilot license. I remember when he took me up in the sky for the first time like it was yesterday. I remember telling how it felt like we were in a paper airplane…

"Does it bring you comfort or faith?" Camila asked, undoubtedly noticing the look of pain on my face.

She lifted my hand and clasped the bracelet around my wrist. Our eyes met and she said, "You're gonna need it."

- **QUEEN OF THE SOUTH** -

James had just ran through our third or fourth red light since we left the warehouse. In all honesty I'd stopped paying attention. We were going well over any speed limit sign. The Dodge Charger we were in was getting put to good use. Tires screeched as James slung us around a left turn through an intersection.

"Jesus!" I gripped the windowsill for support. James jammed his foot down on the gas even more. My eyes glanced at the speedometer, we were pushing 80mph.

It didn't seem to phase James though. He was handling the car with ease, like he was a seasoned pro. Which I'm sure he was. I was supposed to be studying the passport he'd given me, but it was kinda hard with my heart pounding in my ears and my life flashing before my eyes every time he whipped past a car.

My window was down, sending rushes of air inside, whipping my hair all over the place.

"What's your name?" James barked.

"Quincy…Garcia." I blurted out, lifting my foot up into the seat nervously.

"Address?" James ordered, slinging us around another turn. The tires squealed and people started honking their horns at us.

"Don't you think you're drawing a little too much attention to us right now?" I glared at him.

He had no reaction. His eyes were covered by his aviators.

"Driving like a pendejo's not gonna help us. Dying in a car wreck probably wouldn't be the best either!" I shouted over the open window, feeling nauseous. My chest felt tight and my palms were covered in sweat.

"I get there. This is how we do it!" James yelled back, never taking his eyes off the road. Thank god.

Jesus. If these drugs don't burst in my stomach he's gonna Kill me in a god damn car crash.

"You know I've already been in one car accident, I'm not looking for a fucking repeat. Slow down a little." We were coming up on another intersection. The light was clearly red. James sped up, the engine revving in return and floored it through the intersection. I flinched as we went through.

"Address?" James asked again, keeping his tone hard and clipped.

"7714 Elms Ave. I know the fucking address." I shouted back at him.

We weaved in and out of traffic on the highway so fast I couldn't take in anything. I closed my eyes hoping it would be better not to see the on coming collision should it happen. My heart was beating rapidly, like I'd imagine a hummingbird's heart beats.

"How do you feel?" James asked, his voice a little softer, not much, but a little.

I hesitated, trying to figure out how I did feel. I was so amped up I couldn't tell.

"Answer me." James yelled.

"I don't know, okay? Scared. I feel scared. That's all I can tell you right now."

James glanced at me, taking his eyes off the road for a split second. "Tell me if you start to feel numb." When he looked back at the road he slammed on the breaks as we came to another red light. "Shit!" A young woman was walking across the cross walk.

I didn't think the car was going to stop in time. I was sure we were gonna hit her. James kept his foot on the break and the car slid to a stop. I didn't realize James had grabbed my shoulder to keep me from flying into the dash despite my seat belt until he was pulling it away.

James revved the engine and took off again, making a left hand turn heading towards the airport, I noticed a sign pointing that way. He was driving so fast Dallas was passing me by in a blur. All I kept thinking was I'd like to live to see it. We cut across three lanes of traffic sending off a wave of horns behind us. James gripped the wheel and slung us around another right turn only to slam on the breaks again immediately.

The road was closed due to construction. Men in construction uniforms were holding up there hands and cursing us. "The roads closed. You can't come through here!"

James yanked his sunglasses off and breathed deeply, looking over his shoulder to see if he could back out. A few other people had made the same mistake we did and were trying to get turned back around.

"We're never gonna make it." James said, shaking his head, slamming his hand into the steering wheel.

"Yes, we are. We have to make it." I told him sternly.

He turned to me and looked me dead in the eye and I swear that scared me more then the cocaine that could burst at any second in my stomach.

"You've got ten minutes. Okay, listen to me. You're not gonna have time. You need to throw that shit up now!" He demanded. His voice booming through the vehicle and through my body.

"No!" I shouted, shaking my head. "I can't. We have to go. Just drive!" I pleaded with him. "I'm not letting your bitch Queen of a boss turn me and Teresa out! It's not happening!"

"Throw it up!" He yelled at me again, clenching his jaw.

"No!" I refused.

"Then I'll make you!" He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me closer to him, gripping my jaw with one hand.

I smacked and slapped his shoulders. "Get off of me! Stop it!" I yelled, continuing to hit him as hard as possible.

He grabbed my face with both hands and made me look at him. "That wasn't the first girl who died." He started out yelling, but his voice softened by the end. I'd stopped hitting him and my hands were gripping his wrists as he held my face. Slowly, he tucked the strand of blonde hair that had fallen in front of my face behind my ear and then resumed cradling my face. I was hyper aware of how warm his hands felt against my clammy skin. "I'm not having that again. Okay? I can't go through that. Not with you…"

"Then you better channel your inner Don Toretto and get me to the airport because I'm not throwing that shit up. I have someone counting on me!" I pleaded with him.

He let go of my face and shook his head. "Do you have a death wish? I just said you're gonna die. Now throw that shit!"

"Are you deaf? I told you, no! Now drive the fucking car!" I yelled, raising my voice staring him down. "Or so help me god you'll sit here and watch me die because I'm not throwing it up! And I can promise you if I die right here, right now, this way, I will haunt your ass from beyond the grave because you didn't even try!" Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. If I started crying I wouldn't stop.

James glared at me fiercely. "You don't have time! Don't do this to me."

Without thinking I touched his shoulder. His eyes went to my hand on him and then met my own. Something told me he wasn't used to people touching him. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but…I trust you. I trust that you can get me there. Now please, drive."

James put his sunglasses back on and put the car in reverse. "You're gonna die." Was all he said in return.

At least it got us moving. We got back out on the road and I swear he was going faster then he was before.

"Airport! Airport!" I yelled, pointing to a sign going in the opposite direction we were heading. Did he not see it?

"I know where I'm going." He told me. He better.

We were about to head under an underpass when a red truck clipped the ass end of our car, sending us spinning out, tires screeching, metal crunching. My head smacked the window. I didn't realize what was happening until the car came to a skidding stop and everything went black…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Coke & Burgers & Lies, Oh My **

**James Point of View**

A car alarm going off echoed in my ears. My mind was having trouble comprehending what the hell just happened. Slowly, I forced my heavy eyelids open, one at a time. A smashed up maroon colored Yukon was sitting beside us, smoke pouring out from under the hood. I blinked a few times shaking the confusion and disorientation from my mind. I was usually so good about reading the cross streets, but that asshole in the Yukon came out of nowhere. It felt like I was moving in slow motion as I turned, remembering Quinn beside me. She was slumped against the passenger side window, unconscious.

Jesus.

How long were we out?

Shit. Han's drugs.

I checked my watch, realizing we still had time to make to Han if those bags didn't burst inside of her already.

I checked for a pulse, feeling her clammy skin beneath my fingertips. I felt a strong thud beneath my fingertips and breathed out a sigh of relief I didn't know I was holding.

"Quinn! Wake up!" I shook her shoulder, eliciting a moan from her.

I couldn't stop to worry about if she was okay or not. I couldn't allow myself to care. The only thing I was allowed to think about right now was getting this shipment to Han on time. And things weren't looking good.

Bystanders were starting to gather, gawking at the accident. I got out of the car and swung open the door to the back seat, grabbing a black duffel bag, then quickly made my way around to Quinn's side of the car.

She'd opened her door, coughing.

"Are you good? We're gonna have to finish this running." I snapped, reaching inside and unhooking her seatbelt. She got out of the car, stumbling slightly, but catching herself.

She glared at me. "Don't worry. Your shipment is fine."

"Good." Without thinking I grabbed her hand and pulled her along beside me as we took off in a run towards the airport.

I could feel the warmth of her hand in mine as we ran towards the airport but I pushed that thought from my mind, trying only to focus on getting the job done. Shoving our way through crowds of people, we finally made it to the entrance of the airport. I led Quinn through the airport and up an escalator, stopping once we reached the self check in booth. I tapped the screen and got out fake tickets quicker then I thought possible. Jamming the tickets in one hand, I grabbed Quinn's with another and took off towards security.

Slowing our pace slightly so we wouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves. To anyone walking past us, we looked like a couple trying to catch a flight we were running late for. We walked briskly until we skidded to a stop when we approached the security line. Jesus Christ, this was gonna take for fucking ever.

The only thing that kept creeping into my mind was she doesn't have enough time. She's gonna die right here in this fucking security line.

Finally able to stop and take a breath, I looked back at Quincy and felt my heart rate spike just a little bit. Even after a car wreck and running through crowds of people, she was still as beautiful as I remembered. To say I was shocked to see her at Camila's was an understatement, especially with a gun pointed at Jose. If she got his gun off of him she was smart. I'd give her that. Although, Jose is a dumbass I keep telling Camila we need to cut loose.

I honestly thought she was going to shoot me when I was trying to take the gun away from her. Instead when she saw me, she froze. All the fire and fight left her, like the Holy Ghost had just ran through her. It made me wonder if she remembered me.

I knew instantly she was the same woman from the Christmas party I couldn't get out of my head. Even though it was months ago and we barely even talked, I just couldn't stop thinking about Quincy, even if I didn't know her name then. She was breathtaking in her deep purple dress and her long blonde hair cascading down her back. She had captivated me in a way I didn't know was possible. I remember seeing her admiring the Christmas tree out back on Camila's patio where I'd been smoking and I was drawn to her, like a moth to a flame.

Now, here she was, with her life in my hands and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that type of responsibility with her. With all the others, it was hard enough knowing that I had a hand in their death and I didn't even know them. But with her? I don't know what I'd do if I was the reason she died. I don't know why I care either. It's not like o really even know Quincy all that much either.

The one true thing I know about her is she's fucking fearless. Most people think being fearless is jumping off a bridge into a river for fun or driving 100mph down a highway. That's not being fearless. To me being fearless is not the absence of fear, it's being scared shitless and doing something anyway. I knew Quinn was terrified, but she was here, putting her life on the line anyway.

Taking a deep breath, I shoved those thoughts out of my head, hoping that this time was going to be different.

As we were getting closer to the front of the line, I grabbed Quinn's hand and pulled her into my side, wrapping my arm around her shoulders to try to sell that we were a couple. If I was honest with myself, a part of me just wanted her closer, tucked into my side to make sure nothing happened to her. She must have caught on to what we were doing because she wrapped her arm around my back, letting her hand rest on my hip.

We were only a few people away from the front of the line when one of the police dogs started to bark wildly. I could feel Quinn flinch under my arm and begin to fidget next to me, tapping her foot, picking her nails, and most distracting of all, chewing on her lip. I watched as she took her bottom lip between her teeth and that's when I noticed the small cut on her cheek that was bleeding, causing a small trail of blood to run down her face.

Without thinking, I pulled her face to mine.

"Just go with it." I whispered as she looked at me like I was insane, capturing her lips with my own.

Once our lips touched, I felt a fire dance across every inch of my skin. It was like nothing I've ever felt and better than any high I'd ever had. I made sure to reach my hand up to her cheek, wiping the blood off of it. I grazed my thumb across it a few times to be sure it cleared the blood away, but it took a little longer, making me deepen the kiss a little more. My tongue grazed across Quinn's lip and surprisingly she opened her mouth, allowing me to slip my tongue into her mouth. I didn't realize my hand had found her hip and was clutching her against me. Her hands were the front of the leather jacket I had on. Either she was really into this or she was a damn good liar. I couldn't tell whether I was doing this for show or for real after a few seconds.

A cough from behind us caused me to pull away only to be met with the security officer raising an eyebrow at us. Thankfully I had succeeded in calming Quinn down and being able to wipe the blood off her face without it looking to suspicious.

Putting my arm back around her shoulders like everything was normal, I nudged Quinn forward with me, handing the man my passport.

"Sorry, I just can't wait to be married to this beautiful woman right here." I said causally, trying to sell the innocent and madly in love couple image to the man. "I told you we'd make it on time, babe."

Quinn was still speechless, her cheeks a little red, as she handed security guard her passport. "Actually, babe, I think I told you we'd make it." She grinned, glancing at me as the man looked her passport over for a second before handing it back to her with a smile.

She didn't like that I called her babe. That's cute.

"Congratulations you two." He said politely, ushering Quinn forward so she could walk through the metal detector.

She paused, only for a second. Why is she pausing? Go. She glanced back at me and I nodded, assuring her that I was with her and we were in this together. To anyone else looking her pause was unnoticed. Quinn walked through the metal detector and the damn thing went off.

"Step this way, ma'am." A security guard ushered her off to the side.

I walked through, placing my bag on the conveyer belt along with my jacket I removed. As my items went through the scanner I walked through the metal detector and came out fine.

I watched as the security guard took the wand and ran it up and down Quinn's legs and up and down her chest and across each arm. It dinged when it reached her wrist. My eyes landed on the fucking bracelet on her wrist.

"I'm sorry, I forgot I had it on." Quinn smiled, batting her eyelashes at the guard. He smiled at her and nodded for her to move along.

He checked me with the wand next and I was cleared. I grabbed my bag, sling it on my shoulder and grabbed my jacket. Quinn's hand found mine and we took off making our way deeper into the airport.

As soon as we were out of earshot of the man, Quinn worked her way out of my grasp and smacked my arm, hard, angrily.

"What was that about?" She demanded, trying her best to look angry.

"It's called playing a part." I shot out. "Haven't you ever seen a movie. You know, acting? You think I really wanted to kiss you?"

I glanced at her long enough to watch her roll her eyes. We rounded a corner and I picked up the pace. Quincy followed suit without being told. I saw one of our guys on the payroll up ahead and felt a little bit of relief. The door would be unlocked. We were almost through this. I'd never been this stressed with any of the other mules, but dammit, this was killing me.

Our guy passed us and nodded his slightly, confirming we were set. I kept my face indifferent and continued walking quickly. We started to pass the ladies room and Quinn went to go in, but I grabbed her wrist quickly. "That's not where we go!" I yanked her forward and slipped my hand onto the small of her back, pushing her forward, keeping her with me.

We came to a door with a sign hanging on it that read 'Authorized Personnel Only.' I swung the door open and felt for the light switch and slammed the door shut once we were both inside.

"Come On! Get it out of you." I order, even though Quinn was already at the dirty utility sink immediately with her fingers down her throat. She started to gag and spit up into the sink as I sat the bag down on the table beside the sink.

While the sounds of her gagging fill the tiny utility room I spin around and search the shelves behind me to find something to wash the balloons off in. My eyes land on a rusty old Maxwell House coffee can. I grab it, empty it's contents and sit it down by Quinn at the sink. I flick the water on and start rinsing off some of the balloons she's gotten out, ignoring the fact that their covered in spit and vomit.

"Come on. Throw that shit up!" I order again, trying to encourage her, even though I realize it's probably not very encouraging at all. But it's all I can do at this point. "Get that shit out of you."

Quinn's still gagging and retching, her shoulders going up and down with each heave. Pretty soon she's got ten of the twenty three balloons up.

"Beautiful." I continue to wash them off as she spits them out. "Come on! Thirteen left. Throw that shit up."

And she does. We're almost finished when I notice she's gripping the sink and swaying a little. Somethings wrong. "Come on. Keep going!" I bark in her ear. "Three more. Get it done. Three more."

"I I feel numb." She looks up at me and I sways back away from the sink. Her hands reach forward to grab the sink for stability but don't make contact.

I grab her before she can fall backward into anything. "Throw that shit up! They're starting to dissolve." I steady her in front of the sink as she tries with everything in her to focus on puking, but nothing is happening. She lifts her head and leans against the front of me and I see her staring back at me in the mirror on the wall. Her eyes are unfocused, the disorientation is kicking in. Jesus. If she doesn't get this shit up soon, she's dead.

"I can't do it." She all but whispers. My hand clutches her hip, holding her in front of me.

If she doesn't get that shit out of her those balloons are gonna burst and she's gonna be dead. My mind switches gears as I wrack my brain on what to do. How do I help her? How do I keep this girl alive? Thinking on my feet quickly I grab the soap out of the soap dispenser and pry her jaw open and squirt it in, half the bottle, she splutters and coughs, vomiting into the sink. I stand there holding onto her as she continues to vomit into the sink. I move around her and flip her hair out of her face and my way and reach into the sink, finding two bags.

Quinn's breathing is labored as she shuts the water off and stumbles backwards.

"We're short." I snap, double checking by recounting the bags in the can. Twenty two. We need twenty three. Shit.

"We're good." Quinn says.

What the fuck does she mean we're good. I look at her ready to bite her head off, and see that she's holding the last balloon in her trembling hand. Not only do I see that, but I see the toll this took on her little body. Her beautiful face is pale and slicked with sweat. Her eyes are red and tears are streaming down her cheeks from straining to throw up so much.

She's still taking quick labored breaths. I watch as she wipes her mouth on the back of her hand before tossing the balloon into the old coffee can.

For a moment we just stood there staring at each other. Realizing how bad this truly could have ended had she not gotten those last balloons up.

Quickly I snapped back into gear and dumped the contents of the coffee van into a ziplock bag and stuffed it into the bottom of my checked and cleared duffel bag.

"Lets go. Stay close." I ordered. Quinn gave me a slight nod of her head in response and we were out the door, walking through the airport once again.

No one noticed we came out of the utility closet which was a relief. I checked my watch, knowing Han was waiting and picked up the pace. I glanced over my shoulder at Quinn to see she was still there, right on my heels. I headed to where we usually hand off with Han and spotted him walking towards us in his khaki trench coat.

As we pass each other our shoulders brush and the duffle switches from my shoulder to his, with practiced ease. I continue walking and reach my hand out for Quinn to take it. Surprisingly she does without protest and says nothing about the slick handoff that just happened before her eyes.

We make our way to the escalator and head down it. Our jobs done here. It was actually successful, which shocked the fuck out of me. Quinn removed her hand from my own and crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to look at me. I slipped my leather jacket back on and continued outside of the airport, knowing she'd follow.

The fresh air hit our faces and I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. I was standing on the sidewalk about to hail a cab since our stolen car was a smashed up mess in an intersection not far from here when I realized Quinn was storming off down the sidewalk, away from me. Hell no.

Where the fuck does she think she's going.

I had to jog to catch up to her. I grabbed her arm, spinning her around. "Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

Quinn retched her arm out of my grasp like I had the plague and she didn't want to catch it. The glare she was giving me told me she was pissed as hell, but that wasn't my problem. Although, I had a feeling she was going to make it my problem.

"I'm hungry." She replied simply, turning around and walking away from me again.

Okay, this was starting to piss me the fuck off.

I grabbed her arm again. "I don't give a shit. You're going back to the warehouse." I glared back at her.

She half laughed and smirked. "I just risked my life for you and puked up my guts for you! I'm pretty sure I saw a piece of chewing gum I swallowed when I was ten in that sink in there! I did my job, now I'm going to get something to eat! If you wanna stop me, go ahead. Because I'll scream my fucking head off in front of all these people." She stepped closer to my face and whisper yelled at me, making it less then threatening. If this were any other mule there's no way in hell I'd be letting this fly. But it's not any mule. It's her. And for some reason I can't say no to her again after everything she just went through.

"God dammit." I muttered, running a hand down the side of my face. "Come on."

••••••

There was a decent burger joint within walking distance from the airport. We walked in angry silence through the streets of Dallas. I couldn't help but notice Quinn's quiet curiosity as she took in downtown. From what I understood she's never been in the states. I led Quinn through the crowd of packed outdoor tables in front of the Twisted Root Burger Joint. The smell of cheeseburgers and fries filled my nostrils immediately as we walked inside the place. It was late afternoon now. Indistinguishable chatter filled the air mixed with the bustling sound sounds of the kitchen.

Quinn marched in front of me towards the counter and examined the menu written on a chalkboard above the register.

"How can I help you?" An overly cheerful woman said behind the counter.

Quinn gave her a weak smile and pointed to the menu. "I'll have a western burger with seasoned fries and then add an extra order of seasoned fries onto that." The woman wrote her order down and glanced at me, expectantly.

I waved her off, indicating I didn't want anything.

Quinn glanced at me then back at the girl. "He'll have the same."

"How will you be paying?" The woman behind the register asked, awaiting cash or a credit card.

"He's paying." Quinn spat out, walking around me to go sit down at a booth. I rolled my eyes and pulled my wallet out.

I paid for our food, keeping an eye on Quinn sitting quietly in a booth by the window, chewing on her lip. I waited at the counter for our food, not wanting to sit across from her in silence. Within a few minutes our order was brought out and I carried two cheeseburgers and fries in wire baskets over to the table.

"Why the hell did you order for me? I didn't want anything." I said, placing her burger and double order of fries in front of her. I saw her eyes widen at the sight of the delicious food, but she hesitated holding her stomach.

"This is already weird, I didn't wanna make it any weirder by you sitting across from me watching me eat." She explained. "Plus, I don't like eating alone."

Sighing, I gave in and sat down across from her and started to pick at the fries in my own basket, watching as Quinn slowly started to begin eating. Her stomach had to be upset, so I understood why she was going slow. But that didn't take long to subside. I watched with amusement as she dug into her greasy cheese filled oozing burger, woofing half of it down within a few minutes.

"When's the last time you ate anything?" I blurted out. She looked like she was starving.

"It's been a few days. Eating hasn't exactly been high on my list of things to do. Running and trying not to die is pretty distracting." She mumbled, chewing and talking at the same time.

"I can imagine." I felt a small twinge of sympathy for the poor girl. "Why are you running exactly?" I asked, already know the answer, but wanting to see how much she was willing to tell me.

"We don't have to talk." Quinn leveled me with a glare. "I'm not gonna sit here and tell you my sad little story."

"Well, you don't like eating alone and I like conversations with my meals, so we're gonna talk about something." I shot back at her, taking a bite of my burger.

Quinn half laughed popping fries in her mouth. "This should be good. What do you wanna talk about?" She laughed again, finding this all amusing and probably pointless.

I shrugged. "Tell me something I don't know about you."

She continued to eat, thinking of something to say. Just when I thought she wasn't going to answer she did. "I like to read. Does that suffice?"

"Let me guess, Teen Vogue." I scoffed. She looked young enough to read that shit.

She rolled her eyes, taking offense. "No. Classics. Capote. Austen. Shakespeare. Dickens. Those kind of classics. To Kill A Mockingbird is my favorite novel."

"Color me impressed." I shrugged, giving her a sly smirk.

We ate in silence for a few moments before I spoke without thinking. "My mom used to read my A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens every night. Even in the middle of the summer when Christmas was nowhere in sight."

Quinn didn't look up from her plate, but I swore I caught a glimpse of a smile ghost across her incredibly kissable lips. In fact I couldn't stop looking at those lips that I'd kissed a while ago. The urge to do it again was stronger then hell.

Another lull of silence filled the atmosphere around us. My phone buzzed in my pocket, making me pull it out. I had a text from Camila. She wanted to know if the job was done. I replied back yes and set my phone down on the table.

"How did you know about the soap thing?" Quinn asked, making me look up at her. My eyes collided with her deep brown ones.

"When I was younger I wanted to skip school. Drank half a bottle. Never did it again." I replied, being weirdly honest with her.

"Thanks." She all but whispered. "If you hadn't done that I don't know if I would have been able to get that shit up. It was smart."

I nodded. This was starting to feel a bit intimate and weird for me so I got up and went to grab us two sodas. When I returned to the table Quinn got to her feet.

I gave her a look. "Where are you going?"

"I have to pee. Can I go do that alone or does my watch dog have to come with me?" She snapped. "If I wanted to run, I would have done it by now."

Putting a little bit of trust in her, I nodded and sat down. I watched as she walked towards the bathroom disappearing around a corner. Once she was out of sight I started to tap my fingers on the table. I kept eating waiting for her to come back, but it seemed like she was taking forever. I looked down at the table noticing my phone was gone.

Son of a bitch.

I got up and rushed to the bathroom, barging into the ladies room. There was only one stall door closed so I knew she was in there. I kicked the door in causing her to scream and drop my phone on the floor. "What the hell are you doing? Huh? Who are you calling?" I pushed her against the side of the stall by placing my hand on her lower neck and grabbed my phone off the floor.

Two numbers had been typed in. "You trying to call someone?"

Quinn was shaking beneath me and I knew I didn't have to handle her this way, but I trusted her and she took my fucking phone.

"No one! I didn't get to call anyone. I swear." She had her hands on my chest pushing back against me.

"Who were you gonna call?" I snapped again, leveling her with a glare.

"It's no one. I swear." She pleaded with me.

"You got a boyfriend or something back home you're trying to get in touch with? Huh? That what this is? You think he can rescue you?"

"No! I don't have a boyfriend. I've never had one! You were my first kiss! I just…I wasn't calling anyone…" She babbled, nervously. That made me stop. I was the first guy to ever kiss her? I didn't believe that. Not for one second.

"Obviously you wanted to call someone if you took my phone." I argued. "Listen, either you tell me or you tell Camila. And I promise she won't be as nice as I'm being right now." I removed my hand from her neck.

Her eyes fell to the floor as she rubbed where my hand had just been. "I wanted to call someone back home, but not for help. I have horses. I had horses. They need to be taken care of or they'll starve. I wanted to call my neighbor and tell her she could have them. That's all."

Part of me didn't buy what she was trying to sell, but she seemed like the type of girl that would care about fucking horses more then her own damn life. "Give me the number."

Quinn looked at me confused. "555-879-3232." I punched the numbers into my phone so I could investigate it later.

"Let's go. We're done here."

••••••

I had just dropped Quinn back off at the warehouse with Teresa. Watching Quinn hug Teresa when they saw each other made me realize just how far these two are willing to go to protect each other. After leaving the warehouse I headed to Camila's club and found my way back to Camila's office. I could hear the faint sound of her talking as my footsteps neared the door. I waited patiently, leaning against the doorframe, as she finished up with her phone call.

"She did it." I told her, unable to hide the slight pride in my voice that Quinn was able to complete the job.

Camila nodded, her thoughts elsewhere as she looked at me. "Epifanio agreed to our terms." She announced.

"You don't seem pleased about that." I told her, noticing how she didn't seem as happy as she should've been by this.

"I just didn't think he'd concede so easily." She admitted, folding her hands on the table she sat at.

"Well, maybe he's reaching out." I said. "Maybe it's his way of making peace."

She pursed her lips, obviously not agreeing with my words. "Or maybe he thinks I'm not gonna be here next year." She paused, looking up at me before she spoke again. "You know, this Mendoza girl? Keep an eye on her. She might be more useful than I thought."

"What about the Davila girl?" I asked, confused as to why she would want me to get close to Teresa over Quinn.

"What about her?" Camila countered, raising an eyebrow at me.

For a second, the words got caught in my throat. I couldn't exactly explain to Camila that I knew Quinn before she got here, and I couldn't say that I just wanted to be close to her, either, because then I knew damn well that I wouldn't be allowed anywhere near her. Running a hand through my hair, I licked my lips before coming up with a lie. Well, not so much a lie as a half truth.

"Well, I feel like it'd be easier to get the Davila girl to trust me since we just did that job together. Then, I can use her to keep an eye on the Mendoza girl as well. Besides I'm getting the feeling that Quinn and her brother were close and I'm betting since she's his sister, she probably knows more about Guero's business and issues with Epifanio then the girlfriend does." It wasn't technically a lie, it would be easier to bond with Quinn now, but I didn't know how comfortable I felt with just using her for Camila. "That's just my opinion though."

"Fine." Camila agreed after a long moment. "You need to get her to trust you. Tell her, if she's thinking about running, she shouldn't. If she's thinking about going to the police, they'll send her to the ICE, and they'll ship her back to Mexico. And sooner, rather than later, my husband will find her. Tell her, if she wants to die, she should run. If she wants to live, she should stay with me." Camila made her words very clear.

I nodded my head, agreeing to get close to this girl for Camila's benefit.

When I caught Quinn in the bathroom with my phone I was sure she was feeding me a line of bullshit about calling to check on horses. But after I dropped her off at the warehouse I called the number and an old woman named Bethany answered. I'd told her Quinn had to go out of town for a while unexpectedly and she wanted to know if she'd board her horses for a while. When Bethany said she didn't know how long she'd be able to afford to feed and house them I told her I'd take care of the costs.

I wasn't letting Camila know that though.

"The Davila girl, do you see her being an asset or a problem after today's events?" Camila questioned, breaking me out of my own headspace.

"I think she's gonna handle whatever you toss at her." I answered honestly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Entry Strategy**

 **James Point of View**

After dropping Quinn back off at the warehouse and talking with Camila I'd ended up home, alone, in my townhouse, miles away from where I suddenly wanted to be. I'd tossed and turned all night thinking about Quinn and hating the fact that I was thinking about her. She shouldn't mean anything to me. She doesn't mean anything to me… Yet, I'm growing more concerned for her by the second. I know nothing about this girl, other than she's a smartass and likes to read, so she says. And she loved her horses back home enough to risk stealing my phone to check on them.

This girl has no business in this world.

At least that's what I thought.

I was genuinely impressed with how she handled herself at the airport despite being scared shitless. She got the job done and didn't die.

Unable to sleep I sat up in bed and turned on the bed side lamp. A warm glow illuminated the bedroom. I grabbed my cigarettes and lit one, filling the room with smoke. It was close to four in the morning and I'd be getting up soon anyway. Camila wanted Teresa and Quinn moved to a different section of the warehouse where the mules stayed and I had to make that happen. We were also waiting for background checks on the two to come in.

I wanted to tell Quinn that her horses were safe, she deserved that small simple piece of solace, but I knew I'd have to do it secretly with Camila watching her and Teresa like hawks. If I showed too much interest in either girl, Camila would reign me in.

After stubbing my cigarette out in the ashtray on the nightstand I got up and got a shower. The hot water beating down on me did nothing to relax my tense muscles or ease my mind. Every thought in my mind seemed to run right back to Quinn and her lips on mine. We were playing a part in the airport yesterday, but something kept telling me I didn't want to just be playing a part when it came to her. I felt every spark I felt when we kissed just like I did when I saw her standing by the Christmas tree at Camila's. I remember I had gone outside to get some air and get away from the crowd of people filling Camila's home. I was leaning against the porch when I saw her wandering towards the tree like she was mesmerized by it.

I was mesmerized by her.

After turning the water to cold for a few minutes to get my head on straight, I exited the shower and got dressed. As I was about to leave my bedroom my eyes fell on the bare bookshelf by the door. I noticed my old copy of A Christmas Carol and on a whim I chuckled and grabbed it and opened it, searching the room for a pen. I wrote Quinn a small message on the inside cover.

Your horses are safe.

She had to know it was from me. I neglected to tell her I was paying for their care. She didn't need to know that.

••••••

The warehouse was still pretty quiet when I arrived. Most of the girls were starting to shuffle about and get ready for the day. I made my way inside and found Charger. He was sitting behind a desk probably trying to find a new chemist for Camila.

"Camila wants Teresa and Quinn moved over with the mules. Make it happen." I ordered before exiting the room. As I did I pulled the book I had tucked under the back of the waistband of my jeans out.

I was careful of the cameras Camila had installed and kept away from them as I maneuvered in and out of the chainlink areas until I spotted Quinn and Teresa lying on the same mattress. They were back to back. Quinn was facing me, asleep. She didn't look comfortable or at peace. She looked like she was in pain. My eyes fell to her exposed neck and I noticed the small bruise I'd given her from where I grabbed her in the bathroom at the burger joint yesterday. My stomach twisted at the fact that I'd done that to her. I did my job and sometimes people got hurt, that was a fact, a fact I was perfectly fine with, but I didn't like that I'd hurt her.

As I got closer to her she looked like she actually had tears falling down her face, her body twitched and a quiet moan slipped from her lips. I was half tempted to wake her from the nightmare she was having, but refrained. I slid the book under her boots when no one was paying attention and headed back out towards Camila's Office.

The walk to Camila's office wasn't a long one, especially in this factory, but walking to her door now, it felt like an eternity. I knew that she had background checks done on both Teresa and Quincy, both of which had come in, and I was worried about what they'd reveal about the two. Well, more Quincy than Teresa, especially with how I was starting to feel. How was I starting to feel? It didn't make sense to me.

God, why did it have to be her I was starting to care about? Out of all the women in the world, I had to get captivated by the one Epifanio had to have it out for. I tried never to get involved with any of Camila's girls, not wanting to mix business with pleasure and all that shit.

As I neared Camila's door, I could already hear Ruben in there making small talk while waiting for me. Knocking lightly, Camila's voice came through the dark wood, giving me permission to enter.

"James!" Camila greeted from her seat. "Finally. Ruben was just about to tell us what he learned of our two new guests." She said guests with more distaste then I've ever heard.

Camila waved her hand at Ruben as a sign to start talking. I grabbed an apple out of the bowl of fruit on the side bar by Camila's desk and sat down in one of the arm chairs across from her.

"Right." He began. "Well,Teresa Mendoza, she's from Culicãin. Was a salesgirl in the Buelna Mercado. Spent the last five years as a money changer on Calle Juarez." So how's she end up in this fucking mess?

"What about Quincy?" I asked nonchalantly, hoping my interest in Quincy wouldn't raise suspicion in Camila. I pulled my pocket knife out and started cutting pieces of the apple off and eating, trying to feign interest in all of this.

Camila nodded, signaling Ruben to continue. "Quincy Cadencia Daliva. Guero's younger step sister, both of them grew up in the Barrio in Sinaloa. She was attending Equine Veterinarian college, in her second year it seems. There were a lot of medical records on her from when she was a child leading up into her early teens. Broken wrist, dislocated shoulder, and a bunch of other minor things. All clear signs of abuse."

I was in shock, hearing that Quincy had not only been in college, but studying to be an equine vet. No wonder she was so concerned for her horses. Then on top of all that, she was abused as a child. I know the signs and the medical records were definitely a sign of that. I reached across the desk and snagged Quincy's file and opened it, sifting through her medical record.

Ruben paused a moment before continuing."Both of them lived with Guero here," Ruben held up his phone, an image of an upscale white staccato mansion filled the screen. "I got in, looked around. Nothing really. Nice house. Very normal."

"How did Guero steal from Epifanio? How did he do it." Camila demanded, eyes narrowing.

"The details I got were they had someone in with the Federales." Ruben replied. "They were getting back seized cocaine, re-selling it for themselves."

"Who took them out?" Camila questioned, voicing my own thoughts.

"Batman took out Guero." Ruben told us. "Gato and Pote, they dealt with Chino."

"What about their families?" Camila asked, and I knew she was trying to figure out who she could use as leverage.

"You won't be able to get to the Mendoza girl through that. Epifanio already killed off anything she cared about. The Daliva one, the only living person she has left is her father." Ruben said, recalling the information he had gotten on the girls.

"What about the father of the Davila girl? We could use him to get information out of her?" Camila suggested, thinking out loud.

"I doubt it." I scoffed, causing Camila to raise an eyebrow at me. "From the medical records, it sounds like her father was abusive towards her. I don't think she'll care about her father. Why would she?"

"You may have a point, but her father is all she has left now that Guero is gone, you'd be surprised how far someone would go to keep their family alive no matter the history. Look into his whereabouts regardless." Camila pondered, thinking over everything I had just said. "Is there anything else you found out?"

Ruben shrugged. "Only that Epifanio has men looking for them everywhere. California, Arizona, Florida."

Camila pursed her lips. "Whatever he wants them for, it's very important. Important enough to pretend they don't mean anything."

"Thank you, Ruben." Camila waved Ruben off, dismissing him, leaving just us in the room together.

I relaxed into the leather arm chair and continued slicing the apple in my hand and looking over the files on my lap. Quinn's file was full of medical records and school transcripts. She was a straight A student. There were even a few photos tossed inside the file. Obviously Ruben had take them from the house when he checked it out. One of the photos was of her and who I assumed was her brother Guero. He had his arm slung around her shoulder and they were making goofy faces at each other. There was another one with her and a horse. I hated to admit it, but her smile was infectious and so goddamn beautiful.

Camila had her back to me fixing herself a mimosa at the bar behind her desk. She didn't see me slip the photo of Quinn and Guero into my jacket pocket. I didn't really have a reason for taking it other then just wanting it. I could use it to my advantage if need be.

When Camila turned around she looked generally surprised to still see me sitting in her office.

"Why aren't you at Savings Club?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"You wanted me here. I haven't finished eating either." I glared at her.

Camila sat down behind her desk. "I want you to find Quinn's father. Bring him here." It was an order not a suggestion.

I nodded my head in understanding and got up knowing my time in her presence was up.

 **Quinn's Point of View**

I awoke with a start and rapidly beating heart. My skin felt cool and clammy and the pounding headache is had since yesterday's accident hadn't let up. I sat up slowly, ignoring my nauseous stomach and glanced around the warehouse looking for Teresa. She wasn't next to me. There was a sea of mattress pads on the floor around me. Some were being used and others were vacant. Laundry was being done. Heroine was being shot up. People were sleeping.

Every seemed so…content…

I went to stand up and realized I didn't have my boots on and when I went to reach for them they were gone. I hugged myself as I stood up, blinking away the sleep still stuck in my eyes.

Where the hell was Teresa? And my boots?

"Excuse me…" I prodded gently at the women sitting on the mattress across from mine sewing. "Do you know where my friend is? Dark hair. Pink shirt. My things are missing too."

"We didn't take your shit." She spat back at me.

Okay, that's how this was gonna go.

"I wasn't accusing you." I snapped back.

The girl huffed and gestured over her shoulder. "James moved you bitches up. You sleep with the mules now. Your stuffs probably in there."

I mumbled a thank you and slowly made my way to where she had pointed. It was quite the upgrade. The sectioned off area actually had beds off the ground. As I walked inside all eyes were on me.

"Hey!" Someone touched my arm from behind, startling me. I whipped around to see that it was Teresa. "It's okay. It's me. James moved us."

She led me over to two beds next to each other. My boots were sitting on a bed next to a bag of clothes and a book. My eyebrows furrowed at the book. That wasn't mine. I flipped it over and read the title, 'A Christmas Carol.' Without my permission my lips turned into a small smile. It was an old red leather bound copy that had clearly been read a time or two. I opened the front cover and in scribble boyish writing was a note that read, 'Your horses are safe.'

James had called Bethany. I hid the smile on my face as I closed the book quickly glancing around to see if James was here, but I didn't see him anywhere. Quickly I slipped my boots back on and pulled out the fresh set of clothes; jeans and a light blue long sleeve shirt.

"Come on, I'll show you the bathroom." Teresa said, motioning for me to follow her.

She led me into a community bathroom that was completely open to everyone's prying eyes safe for the small showering section that was off behind a small wall. The bathroom stalls were all missing doors. The white tiles on the floor were cracked and broken, along with the ones on the walls. The dim lights made it hard to see much else, but I was starting to think that was a good thing. I walked behind the wall and changed into the fresh set of clothes I'd been given hoping it would make me feel a little better, but it didn't. I met Teresa by the sink and noticed she had her cell phone out and on.

"What are you doing?" I half whispered, turning the faucet on, letting the sound of the murky brown water drown out our conversation.

"We need to get in touch with Brenda. She's been calling. 5 new voicemails." Teresa held the phone up to her ear listening to Brenda's messages. Once she was done she got ready to call her back, but I grabbed her hand, stopping her.

Teresa looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Yesterday when I had James phone I was going to call Brenda, but I remembered something Guero had told me a long time ago. All of our phones belonged to the cartel. They had their own network. So it was possible for them to listen in on phone conversations or read texts. When James waltzed in on me and caught me I lied and gave him Bethany's number and made up the bit about being concerned about my horses. I mean I was concerned for them, but Brenda and Tony were more important.

"You have to be careful. All of our phones belong to them. They can track us. Me. You. Brenda." I explained. "They have their own network according to Guero. Towers and everything."

"Shit." Teresa muttered and glanced over her shoulder. She nodded her head and then hit send to call Brenda.

I decided to splash some water on my face to try and wake up while the water was running, but it only made my head hurt.

"Brenda! Yeah… no…we're okay…listen to me." Teresa tried to talk to Brenda quickly and quietly over the cell phone. "Listen to me. You have to ditch your phone. Quinn said Guero said they have their own cell network. Towers, everything can be tracked. They could be listening right now. Turning your phone off to save the battery is what saved your life."

I felt relieved to know Brenda was okay. It meant Tony was okay too. "You need to go to the crazy green place? Do you understand what I mean when I say crazy green place?"

Brenda must have because Teresa smiled. "Good. Smash your phone and go there." Teresa hung up and I grabbed the phone and tossed it on the ground. I smashed it with the heel of my boot.

"We need to get a burner." I told her. "You didn't tell her where we were?"

"No. I don't know if it's safe to lead her here yet."

"Where is safe?" I mumbled before heading back to our beds.

I sat down on the bed and pulled my knees up against my chest, resting my chin on them. Teresa sat down at the end of my bed and sighed. What the hell did we do now? My hand found the side of my head and gently massaged it. The skin was tender and scabbed up where my head had collided with the window of James mustang.

"Are you okay? You look pale?" Teresa said, scooting closer to me. She moved my hand and examined my head, wincing at the sight. It must have looked awful. "Jesus. You're cut to hell."

"I'm fine." I assure her even though I felt like hell.

The gate to the area squeaked as it opened drawing our attention to James as he walked in. "Julie. Tina. Get dressed. Savings club." He instructed. Two women nodded at him and began gathering their belongings.

As James waited for them his eyes landed on me. I got up and walked towards him slightly. "What are we doing today." I gestured towards Teresa and myself. James licked his lips causing my eyes to drop to them. Heat rose in my cheeks as I thought about his lips on my own. I didn't know anything could feel that good and I hated that he was the one that made me feel that way. He was the enemy. Camila was the enemy. But I've learned that it's better to keep your enemies close.

James narrowed his eyes at me, grabbing my arm gently and pulling me off to the side. "I don't know how much shit you're in, but I know what you're trying to do." He spoke, his voice gruff. He looked tired and irritated.

"What are you talking about?" Teresa snapped, joining the conversation. I was well aware of James hand still on my arm. He glanced at Teresa, zeroing in on her now.

"You're trying to ingratiate yourself with Camila. But the second that you become valuable to her, the second she takes an interest in you, it's gonna be harder for you to both get out." James explained, looking at us both. "Be careful." He warned.

"What are we supposed to do?" I pleaded for some sort of direction to take here. "Camila doesn't strike me to be the type to play games for very long. I'd rather be useful to her and alive then worthless and dead."

James sighed, rubbing his free hand down the side of his face. "She was impressed with you. Okay? She'll get bored though. Just do small things when she asks."

James eyes roamed across my face and landed on the side of my head. Without asking permission he reached up and cupped the side of my head, examine the cut. I smacked his hand away.

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" He demanded.

"I'm sorry, I didn't have a book to write it in." I quipped with a slight smirk on my face. "When was I supposed to tell you exactly?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

Ignoring my comment, James spoke again. "You should let me take care of that."

I was about to say something when his phone rang, causing me to jump slightly at the sudden sound. James stepped back and answered his phone. "I'm on my way. I just left your office. Why?" James glared at me and Teresa fiercely. "I appreciate that, but they have no experience. I can't take the risk. Just like staying out of jail and not getting killed is important to me."

James rolled his eyes and nodded. "Okay." He hung up the phone and placed it back in his jacket pocket. "Camila wants you both to go with me. Let's go." James barked, backing away from Teresa and I annoyed.

••••••

 **James Point of View**

Teresa and Quinn had gotten into my SUV with the two other girls I'd originally been taking along with me to do the Savings Club run. It was starting to piss me off that Camila wanted me to babysit these two, but it was my job to feel them out. We rode in silence all the way to the distributing warehouse for the chain store called Savings Club. We used the place to run some of our cocaine shipments through it. I pulled onto the lot and put the car in park and shut off the engine, glancing at Quinn in the rear view mirror for the millionth time. She was riding in the back with Tina and Julie. She kept closing her eyes and wincing. I'd bet money she had a fucking concussion. She needed to be checked out by a doctor but that would have to wait and be cleared with Camila.

Teresa was riding shotgun. She had not spoke one word since we left. Neither had Quinn. Julie and Tina weren't exactly happy these two were being dragged along for the ride today and it showed by the disgusted looks on their faces.

"Go ahead inside." I told Tina and Julie looking at them in the rear view mirror. They nodded and got out of the car.

"What are we doing here?" Teresa questioned, putting her hand on the door handle, getting ready to get out of the car herself.

"You stay here." I instructed. I reached into the inside of my leather jacket and pulled out two iPhones. I handed one to Teresa and the other to Quinn. "These are your cell phones now. Keep them on you at all times."

"You mean trackers." Quinn blurted out.

I shot her a look and she quieted back down. I had to hand it to her she was a smart pain in the ass.

"Quinn and I are going inside. You're keeping watch." I told Teresa. I figured it would be a simple enough job for her and it wouldn't fuck anything up. "If anything happens, you see something strange, something makes you feel weird, some dude walks past with his dog twice, you call. There's a preset number."

Teresa nodded her head in understanding but still didn't look very pleased. I really didn't give a fuck. I opened my door.

"What's going on in there?" Teresa questioned aloud again.

"You said you wanted a job. You got one." I shut my door and walked around to Quinns side of the car and opened her door.

She sat there with her arms crossed, glaring at me. "Let's go, you're with me."

With an eye roll and an overly dramatic sigh Quinn got out of the car. "I just want it noted on the record I really don't want to go anywhere with you."

"It's noted."

"What are we even doing here?" She questioned aloud as I shut the door and started walking towards the building.

"You ask too many questions." I replied, not really in the mood to give her a play by play on every single thing that was going on. She'd learn just by being quiet and watching.

"You dodge too many questions." She shot back at me.

We walked side by side across the parking lot leading into the Savings Club warehouse. I couldn't help but glance at Quinn as we walked. The wind was blowing her dirty blonde hair around wildly and I had to fight the urge to tuck it behind her ears. She looked so different to me now compared to when we first met at that Christmas party. I still remember what she looked like that night all done up. It was an image I'd never fucking forget, nor did I want too. It baffled me that I was the first guy to kiss her. I chuckled even thinking about it now.

"What are you laughing at?" Quinn prodded, arching an eyebrow at me when I glanced at her. "Am I doing something funny?" She tossed her hands in the air, giving me an annoyed look.

I loved that I annoyed her. I shook my head though. "It's nothing."

"It's something." Quinn had stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Come on." I placed my hand on the small of her back, gently pushing her along. She resisted, but finally complied and started walking. My hand lingered on her back, touching the fabric of her shirt every once in a while as we walked. We were already running behind schedule as is.

"Tell me what's so funny!" She demanded, clearly getting frustrated.

"You just won't take no for an answer, will you?" I asked, not wanting to answer and embarrass her further. It was hilarious to me that I could get under her skin this much.

"Nope." She gave me a smug sideways glance.

Shaking my head again, I kept walking, leading us into the Savings Club warehouse, hoping that the change of scenery would distract her from getting an answer.

It seemed to do the trick because she shut up once we were in the building. I led Quinn through the warehouse looking for our guy Bill. I needed to check the shipment of coke that came in before we loaded it up and left to take it to our buyer. I spotted Bill walking towards us. He was talking to someone on the phone and didn't look too happy.

I stopped walking and waited for him to make it to us verses walking the rest of the way. Quinn paused beside me, looking around at all the workers loading and unloading crates of food and other wholesale items.

"Just let me do the talking." I instructed her as Bill approached us. He was an older man, in his late forties, with balding hair and a beer belly. He hung up the phone and gave me a stressed look.

"Don't look at me like that, Bill. I'm not your wife." I shot at him.

"We all good, James?" He asked, shaking my hand.

"Better than you it seems."

Bill half laughed, nodding his head. "Yeah. Who's this with you?" Bill eyed Quinn up and down, giving her a once over. His eyes lingered on her longer than I liked too.

"She's none of your concern." I snapped, not quite sure where that came from. "Where's the shipment?"

"This way." Bill said, leading us off to the loading docks.

A white box truck sat waiting for us. I opened the back of the truck to see crates and crates of baby wipes. The cases were a good cover for the cocaine. Bill patted my shoulder and walked away, giving me the opportunity to check the coke for purity. Quinn was standing beside me watching as I cut open a box and pulled out a plastic container of baby wipes. I popped the lid off and discreetly pulled a brick of cocaine out of the case.

"Jesus." Quinn muttered under her breath. "The whole truck is full of this?"

I nodded my head.

I pulled my pocket knife out of my pocket and cut through the seal around the coke, then dipped my finger in it and licked it. It was some good shit. Not that I expected anything less.

"Taste it." I offered, holding the case out to her. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure we weren't being watched. For the most part no one could care less about us, but there was an older man with long hair and a clipboard glancing at us. He looked away when I made eye contact.

"No, thanks." Quinn shook her head.

"I wasn't offering or asking. Taste it." I ordered. I didn't really want to make her do anything she didn't want to do but I needed to know she could follow orders.

Quinn dipped her finger in and licked the white powder off her finger. She made a face that told me she didn't like it, but I was impressed she didn't put up more of a fight.

"Happy?" She glared at me. "Wouldn't it be even less suspicious to put this in baby powder packaging?" Quinn said, glancing at me. I closed the container and put it back in the box.

She made a good point… but I wasn't gonna let her know that.

When I looked up I noticed the guy with long hair and a clipboard still lingering around. I'd never seen him here before and it was starting to make me wonder who the hell he was and why he was so interested in what Quinn and I were doing.

Red flags were going up in my mind.

"We all good here, James?" Bill asked as he approached us.

I stepped forward and pointed to the man watching us. Quinn was standing between me and Bill and it was a good thing too because I was starting to get pissed.

"Who is that?" I hissed.

Bill looked over his shoulder, slightly nervous now. He shook his head. "That's Keegan. He's always here."

"No. He's not." I pointed out.

"He just got promoted from produce. He's been working here for two years now." Bill continued to explain. I was having a hard time buying it.

"You trying to screw me over here, Bill?" I snapped stepping forward a little more. Quinn placed her hand on my chest.

"Relax." She whispered, staring up at me. "The guy works here. He's taking inventory. You need to calm down." I glanced down at her hand on my chest and then back at her.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped back, trying to calm myself. I don't know how she did it, but somehow the small gesture of Quinn's hand on my chest calmed me down. She gave me a small smile, slowly removing her hand from my chest.

"Let's go." I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the cab of the truck.

"Nice doing business with you." Bill yelled, only adding to my irritation.

"Ignore him." Quinn suggested, squeezing my hand slightly.

Nodding, I opened the passenger door for her, allowing her to jump in before I shut it and made my way to the drivers side. Starting the truck, I started to make my way around to the side of the warehouse where we'd left Teresa. Julie and Tina were picking up supplies so they'd be taking the SUV back to the warehouse while we took the truck.

As I pulled around the side of the building, I saw Teresa standing in the parking lot squaring off with Camila. What the hell was Camila even doing here? This was not going to turn out well.

"What the hell?" Quinn wondered aloud, getting out of the truck.

Shutting off the engine, I got out, following after Quinn. I had no idea why Camila was here but I knew it couldn't be for a friendly visit. Walking closer to Camila and Teresa, I noticed two of our guys were wearing fake DEA agent uniforms. That's when it all clicked together. Camila was testing Teresa's loyalty and ability to keep her mouth shut.

"What is going on?" Quinn demanded, placing herself between Teresa and Camila. Girl was ballsy, I'd give her that.

"That thing you did yesterday, swallowing the drugs, I was impressed, Quinn." Camila complimented, giving her a slight nod. "You proved that you can be trusted. It was Teresa's turn to be tested. You see even a rabbit will chew off it's own leg to get out of a trap. Now I know I can trust both of you."

"We have a delivery to make." I spoke up, gesturing for Teresa and Quinn to get in the truck so we could get this load delivered.

Quinn slid into the middle of the truck, next to me while Teresa sat next to the window. I could feel the rage radiating off of Quinn and she tapped her foot. Starting up the truck again, I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.

"What happened?" Quinn asked, looking over at Teresa.

"Well," Teresa began, "I was just sitting in the SUV waiting when the two fake DEA agents yanked me out of the car. Before I even hit the pavement, they began questioning me on Camila and if I knew what she was doing, trying to offer deals to get me to tell them anything. I knew better though."

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Quinn asked, smacking me in the arm as hard as she could. "You couldn't have given Teresa some sort of heads up? You're such an asshole!"

"I didn't even know that was gonna happen." I replied, wondering how the hell this was now my fault.

"Bullshit!" Quinn spat out at me. "You're like Camila's personal pit bull!"

"The thing you need to understand is that's who she is." I started to explain, trying to get them to understand Camila. "And the second you think you know where you're at, the ground shifts underneath you. I told you both, be careful. This is the last time I'm gonna talk about this."

Neither of them argued, and the rest of the drive was silent. I could still tell Quinn was angry with the way she sat with her arms crossed, and I hated that it bothered me. This fucking girl shows up here and completely throws me off my game. I shouldn't care if she was angry or not, but I did. Instead of focusing on her, I made sure to keep all my attention on the road. Finally, we pulled up to the red light by the nursery. Looking over, I see our guy watering the plants, giving me the signal.

"Who's the guy with the hose?" Teresa asks. "The one you nodded to?"

"We own him."' I replied, a little shocked at how perceptive she was. "If I ever see him watering his plants, and he doesn't stop by the time I get there, I keep driving."

"There's our buyer." I tell them, nodding to the guy walking down the sidewalk and towards the nursery.

The light finally turns green and I'm able to turn into the parking lot. Seeing the space I'm supposed to park in, I pull in and kill the engine. Looking over at Quinn and Teresa, I assume they know to stay in the truck. I give them both a bid before getting out. However, I hear their door shut as I round the front of the truck.

"What are you doing?" I demand, grabbing Quinn by the arm to lead her back to the truck.

"Coming with you." She says, pulling away from my grip and walking towards the buyer.

"No, you don't want to meet him." I tell her, trying to talk her out of it. "If he sees your face, he knows you. She knows you know him. See how that works."

"If Teresa and I know too much, we're indispensable. If we know too little, we're disposable. See how that works?" Quinn quipped back, raising her eyebrows at me. If I were honest, her defiance was a little sexy, but I wasn't going to tell her that.

"Did you listen to anything I said?" I asked, shaking my head and rubbing the bridge of my nose, trying to keep the impending headache at bay.

"Honestly?" Quinn questioned. "I tuned out your voice half way through everything you said."

"Just come on." I grabbed Quinn's hand as Teresa tried to hide her chuckle at Quinn's comment.

The three of us then made our way to the buyer, which made me worried. I did not want this guy to see their faces but I knew there was no arguing with them. Especially Quinn. Sighing, I realized I still had Quinn's hand in mine and I let go, making sure to keep the two of them slightly behind me as we approached the buyer.

"Lopez." I greeted, shaking his hand.

"Who are they?" Lopez asked, eyeing Quinn and Teresa skeptically.

"They're new." I replied, making sure to keep myself between him and Quinn.

"I don't like "new" James. I like faces I know. Where's Aveline?" Lopez questioned, crossing his arms.

"She overdosed. So we're the new Aveline." Quinn told him, stepping to stand next to me. She really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut or else she was going to get hurt.

"Shame. I don't like this." Lopez shook his head, looking longingly at Quinn, only fueling my rage more.

"Look, if you have a problem, take it up with Camila." I said, letting my anger get the better of me. "I can sell this load someplace else."

"You vouch for them. You take responsibility for them." Lopez replied, holding his hands up in defense.

••••••

 **Quinn's Point of View**

After meeting the buyer for the cocaine we all piled back into the cab of the truck and drove to another location. It was all very cloak and dagger. The back up beeper on the truck was going off making my head pound along rhythmically with it as James backed the box truck up against the garage doors behind us. We were at a automotive garage called Dunlap-Swain Auto now.

There was a group of men waiting by the doors talking and smoking cigarettes.

"Keep your mouths shut in here." James instructed. Teresa and I nodded, understanding we were to be nothing but wallflowers.

Teresa opened her door and climbed out. As I was about to slide across the seat I felt James gently grip my chin, making me turn my head and look at him. "I'm serious, Quinn. Keep your mouth shut." James ordered, giving me a stern look that didn't quite reach his eyes. He seemed more concerned than anything.

"I got it." I promised him. I couldn't help but notice how warm his fingers felt on my chin. His hand fell and I got out of the truck.

Teresa and I waited for James to make it around the truck and then we all headed towards the door together. Lopez's men eyed Teresa and I, but said nothing to us. We followed the men inside the garage and stood off to the side pretending not to be there. James lifted the garage door with ease revealing the back of the truck and unlatched it, sending the door flying upward. He grabbed a box and slid it to the edge so he could cut it open.

Teresa and I stood close together taking in our surroundings. Lopez watched James intently along with his men. I noticed how Teresa kept eyeing one of Lopez's guys who wouldn't stand still. He kept cracking his neck and shifting his weight from foot to foot, impatient. He had to be on something.

Once James had a brick of the cocaine in his hand he led us all towards an office. Teresa and I followed along, remaining quiet and out of the way. I didn't understand why James felt the need to tell me to listen twice. I didn't understand why he didn't just trust that I was going to obey him. I've done nothing but what he's said to do. I also didn't understand why he felt the need to keep touching me. His hands have made contact with my skin more times than I can count today. Not that I'm counting or anything.

I stood next to Teresa quietly fiddling with the paper airplane charm on my bracelet. My heart ached in my chest thinking about my brother. Guero being dead still seemed surreal. I didn't want to let it sink in.

James stood in front of Lopez sitting behind a desk and watched as he cut opened the brick of cocaine and weighed it. He placed the white substance in a small plastic container and mixed it with a solution, checking for purity.

Lopez grinned, clearly happy with the results. "90% pure."

"There's a 100 kilos as promised." James assured him. He was playing quite the suave businessman right now.

"All right. Let's wrap this up and get everything unloaded." Lopez said, motioning for his guy to place a grey suitcase on the desk.

"I just need to check the money and we're set." James said, unzipping the suitcase.

Lopez nodded and followed his men out of the office to go unload their product.

James finished unzipping the suitcase, revealing stacks of cash. He picked up a stack of cash and pulled two hundred dollar bills out of it, holding it up to the light to check for a watermark. Camila would be pretty pissed if she was payed with counterfeit cash I'm assuming.

"Somethings not right." Teresa whispered aloud, making me glance at her.

"What do you mean?" I whispered back.

Teresa stepped forward just as James was about to zip the suitcase full of cash closed. "Can I see the money?" She questioned.

James paused, looking at her like she was crazy. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Maybe. I don't know. Something feels off." She insisted. "May I see the money?"

James sighed, but unzipped the suitcase and stepped aside so Teresa could examine it. She sifted through a stack of money, feeling each bill with her fingertips. After a moment she pulled one out. "This one is fake. They're ripping you off."

"What are you talking about?" James growled.

"All U.S. paper money weighs a gram. This is too light." Teresa said, rubbing the bill between her fingers, holding out to James.

He stared at the bill, slightly baffled and pissed off. "I don't see it."

"You don't see it. You feel it." Teresa placed the bill in his hand. "The difference between a real one and a fake is the paper."

"Is she for real right now?" James looked at me.

"She knows what she's taking about." I assured him confidently. I trusted Teresa. She was a money changer. She knew more about this than I did.

"Are you sure?" James hissed. I glanced out of the office windows to make sure no one was coming.

"I was a money changer in Sinaloa for five years. My life depended on it." Teresa shot back at him.

"It still does! You accuse these men of cheating us and it's a mistake…" James ran a hand down the side of his face and shook his head. His jaw was tensing as he tried to go over all of this in his head.

Teresa lifted her hair up revealing a scar on her head. "In Sinaloa you don't make a mistake with your bosses money. I learned that the hard way. I spent five weeks in the hospital."

"If she says it's fake. It's fake. These guys are screwing you over." I spoke up, backing Teresa. I never knew that's where she got that scar from. James stared at me, clenching and unclenching his fist at his side.

The door opened and Lopez and his guys walked back in. Lopez eyed James, reading the room, feeling the tension. "Something the matter?"

"I'm gonna need to weigh this bill." James raised the hundred dollar bill in his hand.

Lopez scoffed, shaking his head, like the idea was out of the question. "You think I'm cheating you?"

"I don't know. But the girls here think the bill is fake. So then you won't mind if I weigh it. Just to be safe." Jame said, getting ready to place the bill on the scale on the desk.

"You're embarrassing yourself here James." Lopez shot out, growing annoyed. He walked around the desk towards me. "If she's wrong, I demand reparations!" Lopez pulled his gun from the back of his jeans and grabbed my arm yanking me in front of him in one swift movement.

James had his gun drawn and pointed at Lopez in the same exact amount of time.

I froze feeling the barrel of Lopez's gun pressing into the side of my head. I flinched feeling him gripping my arm tightly. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them, feeling my heart racing rapidly in my chest. After everything was this how I was gonna die?

"Quinn!" Teresa yelled, attempting to step forward.

"Let her go." James demanded calmly.

"Everyone needs to calm down!" I said with a shaking voice, feeling my eyes welling up with tears despite me trying like hell to keep it together. You never realize how much you wanna be alive until someone has a gun at your head.

"You weigh that bill and it comes back good I'm blowing her head off." Lopez hissed.

"Weigh the bill." I said looking into James eyes. I trusted Teresa. She was right. She had to be. I had to trust that James wouldn't let this asshole shoot me. What were my other options, really?

James kept his gun aimed at Lopez and placed the bill on the scale. "It'll be less than a gram." Teresa said as she walked around the desk despite Lopez's guys pointing their guns at her. "0.783"

She was right.

"Find me another one!" James barked at Teresa.

Lopez's grip on my arm only intensified. I felt the metal of the barrel of his gun pressing into my skull. Teresa searched through the money and pulled out another bill, placing it on the scale.

"0.783." She read aloud.

"That's not possible!" Lopez yelled, lowering the gun at my head slightly. I wiped the tears sliding down my cheek. Lopez squeezed my arm again. "That's not possible!"

"You ripping me off, Lopez!" James yelled, stepping closer leaving me in the middle of two men arguing with guns. One of which was still pointed at my fucking head. "You ripping me off?" James was only a foot away from me now. In one swift fluid motion he grabbed my hand and yanked me into his chest and had his gun pointed straight at Lopez's head. I clutched James shoulder and felt his hand on my hip, it only last a few seconds before he completely tucked me behind him.

A wave of relief washed over me.

Teresa latched on to my arm, "It's okay."

"It wasn't me!" Lopez pleaded with James. "I swear!"

"How do you know they didn't put it in there when we went to get the coke!" One of Lopez's guys spoke up.

"No, James! Lucien is the other one that I let handle the money besides me." Lopez tried tossing the blame around.

"No, no, no, I've been working for you for almost nine months Mr. Lopez." The guy Lucien said, he was the same one that just tried to accuse us of setting this all up. "You know me. I've never cheated you. You can check my house, man!" He pleaded with James and Lopez. I wasn't buying it.

"Don't check his house. Check his car. I knew a man who hid it in his car so he wouldn't have to collect it when he had to run!" Teresa said, glaring at Lucien.

James backed away from Lopez, still holding him at gunpoint. "You check it. You check every fucking inch of that car."

Lopez had his guy pull Lucien's piece of shit car into the shop and put up on a lift. Lopez searched the inside and outside of the car fairly thoroughly while we all watched, but it was coming up clean. They checked the inside of the gas tank. The seats. The under carriage. Nothing…

Lopez had just finished lowering the car back down onto the ground.

"Looks like my boy might have been right." Lopez spat at James. "You and your bitches here plant that shit on us?"

That money was in this car. It had to be. Lucien didn't look that fucking smart to hide it anywhere else. Guero and I lived in our car when we were younger for a few weeks after my father had bailed on us for the millionth time and we couldn't make rent and we always hid things in it. Money. Food. We had to hide it because our car kept getting broken into.

"You're not looking in the right place!" I snapped, stepping forward. All eyes were on me now, including James. I was getting really tired of almost being killed and I wasn't about to let these assholes point another fucking gun at mine or Teresa's head.

"Gimme your pocket knife?" I said, turning to James.

He dug it out of his pocket and handed it over to me. I pushed past Lopez and swung the door open and felt around the door panel. It was sealed pretty good so I knew that wasn't an option. My eyes flickered over every square inch of the car as I tried to remember where Guero and I used to hide shit. I glanced up at the liner and smiled taking the blade and running it along the edge of the liner. The fabric ripped as I yanked it and stacks of cash fell down onto the seat.

"A two inch slit in the liner along the edge and a clothes hanger can turn the roof of any car into a bank." I shot out, tossing the money to James. I took the pocket knife and jammed it around the stereo breaking it free enough to where I could grab it and pull it out.

Sure enough resting behind the stereo were more rolls of cash.

I got out of the car and glared at Lopez and Lucien. James nodded at me. "Nice work."

"Shit. James. What can we do to make this right?" Lopez offered apologetically.

He sure changed his tune quickly.

James looked at Teresa and I. "He stole from us. What do you think we should do?"

"Nothing. You got your money back." Teresa replied rather quietly. "That's what matters."

"That's the wrong answer." James said, then he looked at me. "Your input?"

"I think Lopez here needs to vet his employees a little bit better." I shot out sarcastically. I handed James his pocket knife back before walking outside of the garage.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Being Smart**

 **Quinn's Point of View**

The ride back to our warehouse was a quiet one. I sat tucked between James and Teresa with my knees under my chin trying to get my head to stop pounding. It felt like a lightening storm was taking place in my head. James slowed the truck and stopped at a red light.

"Can you roll your window down, please?" I asked him, feeling nauseated.

James didn't object and cracked his window. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. It was quick and discreet. I don't think he noticed I noticed him looking at me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I shook my head. "I just have a headache."

"Lean on me. Rest your eyes. See if that helps." Teresa said as she rubbed my shoulder gently and put her arm around me. I rested my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes hoping it would make the pain subside.

James continued to drive, causing cool air to rush through his window. It felt soothing on my skin.

"What will they do to him? To Lucien?" Teresa asked James, breaking the silence. I kept my eyes closed not wanting to see James' face. It didn't dawn on me until now they would do anything to him. I mean deep down I knew something was going to happen, but what I wasn't sure of.

The asshole stole. Well tried to steal. It's not like they could turn him into the police. Guero always said the cartel handles their own shit. I guess that meant they were judge, jury and executioner…

"It's already done." James replied, as if he were giving Teresa the weather.

"This isn't the way back to the warehouse. Where are we going?" Teresa questioned aloud, causing me to open my eyes again. If we weren't going back to the warehouse where the hell was he taking us?

I wasn't letting my guard down, even though for some weird unexplainable reason I did feel safe in James presence. He still worked for Camila and that still meant he couldn't be fully trusted.

"Camila wants to speak with you two. We're heading to her club." James explained.

••••••

We arrived at Camila's club twenty minutes later. It was a huge building with an upper and lower level that was decked out in colorful Christmas lights. I bet it looked beautiful lit up at night. James shut off the engine to the truck and climbed out, Teresa and I followed suit. James grabbed the suitcase full of money out of the backseat and slammed the door shut.

"Follow me." He said over his shoulder as he started walking up a flight of wooden stairs.

Teresa and I followed James inside the club. From the outside I didn't expect it to look as luxurious as it was on the inside. It was spacious with the bar in the middle of the club. Cocktail tables and bar stools filled some of the space around the bar, leaving room for dancing. Giant horse carousel's were along the far wall for decoration. The black and red color scheme of the place gave it a very dark and sultry feel.

James lead us down into bar area, but disappeared behind a door leaving us alone.

"Teresa, Quinn, come join me." We heard Camila's voice before we saw her sitting at a table.

We approached her and sat down at the table with her. Camila looked like a queen presiding over her subjects. She sat in her barstool completely laid back and seemingly bored with our presence.

I rubbed the side of my head and watched Camila open the bottle of tequila on the table. "You know, this bottle comes from my favorite mezcaleria in Oaxaca. It's good. You should both have some."

Camila filled her shot glass and then the other two empty ones as well. She knocked back her shot and studied our faces.

"James told me what happened today." Camila cocked her head to the side staring at Teresa. "You took a big risk today. How come you knew those bills were counterfeit?"

"I saw something was wrong." Teresa answered simply. She rested her hands on her lap.

"What did you see?" Camila pressed.

"One of the guys kept cracking his neck. He was nervous. Guero taught me to look out for those things." Teresa explained further, despite not wanting too. I could tell she wanted to leave by the way she kept looking down at her hands. This was the last place I wanted to be.

"And did Guero teach you how to search cars?" Camila zeroed in on me now.

"It was just something I remembered from when I was a kid. I wasn't always living it up in Dallas. Guero and I lived in our car for a while when I was fourteen. After we got robbed three times we smartened up." I smirked dryly.

Camila nodded, pursing her lips. She reached down into her expensive handbag and pulled out two small velvet boxes. "These are for you." She slid them across the table, one to Teresa and the other to me.

I didn't dare make a move to touch the small box and neither did Teresa. Instead we just stared at them awkwardly.

"It's okay. You can open them." Camila insisted, gesturing towards the items.

Teresa and I shared a weary glance with one another, but hesitantly opened the boxes placed before us. The box Camila had given me held a pair of diamond earrings. The were gorgeous and breathtaking. I had no idea why she was giving them to me. Nor did I want them. Teresa was given a golden watch. These gifts seemed a bit elaborate for two girls that lived in a warehouse.

"Thank you, but no." Teresa said, closing her box and sliding it back across the table to Camila.

I ran my finger over the diamonds, deciding if I wanted them. A gift like this was definitely coming with strings. Every part of me wanted to tell her she could shove these diamonds up her ass, but I needed to be smart. If Teresa and I wanted to survive we had to play the game.

If and when we got the opportunity Teresa and I were going to have to get out of here and we were going to need money. These earrings could be pawned.

"You saved me $50,000 dollars today. This is not a gift. You've earned it." Camila started.

"I don't want it." Teresa snapped.

"I know you both don't want to be here. I know how much it must have hurt to lose Guero. For both of you." Camila looked at both of us almost sympathetically.

I scoffed. She knew nothing about the pain I was feeling.

"You know nothing about me." Teresa said.

"No, but I know about loss. You are not the only one who lost everything when you left Mexico. I lost my husband. My business. Now I'm losing my daughter." Camila spoke slowly, thinking back on all the things she's lost or sacrificed to get to where she is.

I half laughed. "You chose to leave Mexico. We were being hunted like foxes, so we ran. You had an active choice in everything that's happened to you. We didn't. I sure as shit wouldn't have chose losing my brother for any of this." I gestured around to her club.

Camila watched me and studied my face all contorted up with anger. "You can take these rewards or not, the choice is yours. I'll have James save them for you until you decide."

I pulled the earrings out of the box and shoved them in my pocket. Camila looked at me with an arched brow, surprised. "Like you said, I earned them."

Teresa tapped the box her watch was in. "Keep it as part of the debt I owe. I'm tired. Can we go?"

"I'll have my driver take you back to the warehouse." Camila told Teresa then looked at me. "James said you need to be seen by a doctor, to get your head checked out from the accident yesterday, so I've set you up with our doctor Pablo. He does appointments off the books. James is going to take you to him." She told me just as James reentered the room.

"Thank you." I nodded, standing up along with Teresa.

"Teresa, when life gave you a choice about what to do with the man that stole from us, you chose mercy. That was the wrong choice." Camila told Teresa. "Women in this business, we cannot afford to be weak. Don't ever make that mistake again."

"Come on. Your car is out front." James said, ushering Teresa and I back out front.

There was a black town car in the parking lot idling.

"I'll see you back at the warehouse." I assured her as she pulled me in for a hug. Teresa turned to James and glared at him. "If anything happens to her while she's with you, I'll kill you."

James opened the door for Teresa. "She'll be fine with me. Don't worry. Now get in the car."

Teresa got in the car, giving me a small wave goodbye.

••••••

James had taken me to see Camila's doctor, Pablo, as soon as we parted ways with Teresa. We were sitting in a small examine room waiting for the doctor to come in and check me out. I didn't need to be here. I was fine. I'm surprised Camila even agreed to this and set it up to be honest.

"Why did you tell Camila I needed to be seen by a doctor. It's only a headache. I'm fine." I glared at James from the examine table I was sitting on.

He was pacing around the room with his arms crossed over his chest tightly. His broad shoulders filled out his leather jacket nicely. Even as he paced the floors he carried himself with strength and purpose. My eyes were roaming down his body as he spoke and I prayed he didn't notice.

"You were in an accident yesterday and slammed your head pretty hard. It's better to be safe than sorry." James replied, not even looking at me.

"Like I said, it's just a headache. People are usually sore after accidents." I pointed out, staring at the bare walls of the room.

"But what if it isn't?" He asked quietly, causing me to turn and face him again.

His eyes locked onto mine and I couldn't stop the words from flying out of my mouth. "Why do you care?"

Just as James opened his mouth, the doctor came in. James cleared his throat, looking over at the doctor as he came over and shook his hand.

"Pablo." James greeted.

"James!" Pablo replied with a smile. "Haven't had to see you in a while. How're you doing?"

"Good, thank you." James answered before he gestured towards me. "She's the reason for the visit today."

"So what's going on, miss...?" Pablo trailed off, now focusing all his attention on me.

"Quincy Davila, but you can call me Quinn." I said, shaking the doctors hand. "I just have a headache. It's really no big deal."

"Bullshit." James mumbled from behind the doctor. "We were in a car accident and she hit her head on the window pretty hard."

"Well, let me check and make sure it really is no big deal." Pablo said, smirking at me as he reached for the small light in his coat pocket. "Look right here."

I stared at his ear, as instructed, as he shined the light in my left eye, then my right. I had to admit, the light made my head hurt even worse and I'm sure the doctor could tell. Sighing, Pablo put the light back into his pocket.

"How have you been feeling?" Pablo asked, giving me a serious look. How have I been feeling? Does he want the long answer or the short one. If I told him how I actually felt right now he'd have me committed.

"Fine." I replied, with a shrug, going with the short answer, hating being in this office and being questioned by a doctor.

Being stuck in the little examination room was starting to bring back some bad memories, all of them having to do with my father. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at James who had a dark eyebrow quirked up at me, but there was concern in his eyes. We locked eyes for a moment before Pablo spoke.

"Quinn," the doctor sighed, "be honest with me. Have you been feeling nauseous, dizzy? Any blurred vision?"

I thought it over and had to admit, I had felt all those things since hitting my head. "Yes." I mumbled quietly, not looking at either of them.

I heard James exhale angrily, as Pablo spoke again. "Have you been nervous or anxious?" I nodded. "Easily upset or angered? More emotional?"

"Yes." James blurted out from behind Pablo.

I glared hard at him, before realizing he was right, which only added to my anger. The doctor hummed in response, writing down everything in his clipboard. It was a few more moments until he spoke again.

"Well Quinn," Pablo began, "you have a mild concussion it seems. It's a good thing James brought you in."

James gave me a smug smile as he addressed Pablo. "So what do we do?"

"Well," Pablo pulled out a small bottle of pills from his coat pocket, "take one of these tonight, it'll help with the headache. It's just a few doses of Tylenol with codeine, so be careful when you take them and make sure she eats with it."

Pablo handed me the bottle, then turned to James. "She needs to be watched tonight to make sure it's not worse."

"What should I watch out for?" James asked, and the worry in his voice shocked me.

"If her headache persists after the she takes the medicine, vomiting, slurred speech, seizures, bring her back here immediately. Also, make sure she doesn't sleep for a long period of time."

"Why?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows together in confusion.

"Well, if you sleep for too long, you might not wake up so you need to be woken up every few hours just in case." Pablo explained.

"I slept all last night though." I said, wondering now if that was okay with a concussion.

"I'd still like James to monitor you throughout the night." Pablo insisted, giving me a small warm smile.

"Thank you, Pablo." James shook the doctor's hand again.

I stood up and shook the doctor's hand again, as well. "Yes. Thank you, I appreciate you seeing me like this."

James placed his hand on my lower back as he led me out of the office sending a shiver down my spine. As soon as we were out of earshot of the doctor, James leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"I told you." I could just hear the smirk in his voice.

"Oh shut up." I replied, rolling my eyes.

••••••

James was driving me back to the warehouse. It was late, working on almost midnight. My head was still hurting so I was thankful for the bottle of Tylenol with codeine the doctor had prescribed me. Turns out James was right. I hated that he was fucking right. It irritated me more then my head pounding. Alright, not more, but it was right up there.

I sat quietly in the passenger seat and watched as the city of Dallas passed by in a blur. It felt surreal to be anywhere but Mexico. I noticed we weren't anywhere near the warehouse and started to get a little concerned as to where the hell James was taking me.

"Where are we going?" I questioned him. "The warehouse is in the opposite direction. If your gonna kill me, just pull over and do it here." I sighed, tired, letting my sarcasm get the better of me.

James slowed down and pulled the car over by the curb. Suddenly my heart lurched in my chest. "I was joking!"

James shook his head and shut off the engine, pulling the keys out of the ignition. He turned slightly in his seat, making me a little nervous. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Jesus. Calm down. We're here."

"Here, where? Where is here?" I babbled, looking out the window into the darkness. I focused my eyes and realized we were on a street lined with quaint brick townhouses.

James got out of the car and walked around to my side and opened the door. I hesitated, but got out of the car. James gestured for me to follow him, so I did. I didn't have many other choices.

We walked down the sidewalk a little ways and then up a flight of cement steps leading up to one of the townhouses. "What are we doing here?"

James put his hand on the door and I grabbed his shoulder. He looked at my hand on his shoulder and then back at the door. "Are we breaking into this house? I'm not helping you commit burglary."

"It's not breaking and entering when you have a key and your names on the mortgage." James explained, putting a key into the lock and turning it.

"Oh, well…" I was speechless and felt like an asshole.

James pushed the door open. "After you." He smirked.

I walked inside, brushing my shoulder against James chest in the process. There was a flight of stairs leading up that I paused on. James flipped on a light switch and nodded for me to continue upstairs.

When I reached the top I was surprised to see how nice his place looked. The stairs lead right into the kitchen and dining room and living room combo. Tall antique white kitchen cabinets lead all the way to the ceiling. I loved those kind of cabinets. The color reminded me of my barn. The kitchen overlooked a dining room table and the living room. A flat screen tv hung over the fireplace.

I stood there awkwardly as James removed his jacket and sat it on the island in the kitchen, along with his gun. He turned around and placed his hand on the side of my arm gently. "Sit down."

"I think you should take me back to the warehouse. If Camila finds out I'm not…" I began as I sat at the island.

"I cleared this with Camila." James replied, cutting me off.

"Why am I here, James?" I asked him suddenly.

He ran a hand down the side of his face. "The doctor said you needed to be watched. So you're gonna stay here tonight. Get some rest. You shouldn't be alone."

"I'm not alone at the warehouse. I have Teresa. She'll worry if you don't bring me back." I pointed out.

"I have a car and can get you to a hospital if you need it. Teresa will be fine." James argued as he made his way to a small bathroom.

I sighed, knowing this was an argument I was destined to lose when my eyes landed on his gun just lying there on the counter. For a split second the thought of grabbing it crossed my mind. Biting my lip, I stared hard at the gun, but never made a move to touch it.

"Whatever you're thinking right now, rethink it." James' voice called out as he made his way back into the kitchen, a small first aid kit in his hand. "You could grab my gun and shoot me, take my car, but Camila would have you back at the warehouse before you even hit state lines."

"I wasn't going to take your gun." I shot back, glaring at him.

"You should let me take a look at the cuts on your head." James said, sitting down in the barstool in front of me.

I nodded my head, fidgeting with my hands as James opened the first aid kit next to us before pushing my hair out of the way. Looking down, I tried not to let it show how nervous he made me being this close.

"Hold still." James said, reaching for the antiseptic and a piece of gauze. "This may hurt a little."

I nodded, closing my eyes and waiting for the familiar sting I knew was about to come. I could feel his breath against my face, reminding me just how close he really was. I sucked in a breath and the cold liquid touched my head.

"I warned you." He teased, lightly cleaning the small gash.

"Thank you." I finally said, thinking back to the note in the book he left for me.

"For what?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. "I'm the one who caused this in the first place."

"Not for this, you idiot." I quipped. "For my horses."

"Oh, that. Yeah, whatever." He replied, blowing it off like it wasn't a big deal.

"Yes," I breathed out, "it was."

His face was still only inches from mine and I could feel his breath against my skin, causing my breathing to stop completely. I watched as his eyes flicked down to my lips, causing me to bite them anxiously. My eyes traveled down to his lips, just as his tongue darted out to wet them. I don't know what came over me, but I started slowly leaning in, and for a moment I swore he did, too. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and leaned in a little more, waiting for his lips to touch mine. What the hell was happening?

Instead, James cleared his throat and when I opened my eyes, I saw he had sat back in his seat, causing my cheeks and neck to turn red in embarrassment. That didn't just happen. Oh, god, it did. James wouldn't make eye contact with me as he ran a hand through his hair, grabbing his jacket off of the island before he turned to me.

"Follow me." He sighed, making his way up the stairs.

Not trusting my own voice, I nodded, going up the large staircase and following him into a room. His bedroom to be specific. Confused, I waited in the doorway, not quite sure what to do. Tossing his jacket on his bed, James made his way to his dresser.

Turning his head, he smirked at me. "Get in here, Quinn. The room doesn't bite."

Rolling my eyes, I made my way over to him, quirking an eyebrow at his actions. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I thought you'd like some clean clothes after a nice shower." James explained, pulling out a long sleeve grey shirt and what looked like a pair of boxers.

"Oh." I replied dumbly, taken aback but his sudden thoughtfulness.

James chuckled, moving to lay the clothes on his bed, next to his jacket. "The bathroom is through that door. Take as long as you need."

I was about to say how grateful I was to finally have a shower when I took a good look at his jacket. Something sticking out of the pocket caught my attention, and in that moment, all the positive emotions I had left my body, leaving me seeing red. Reaching out, I grabbed an all too familiar photo of Guero and I. In that instant my heart started to crumble, seeing my brothers face.

"James," I began, my voice deadly calm, "why do you have this?"

"Have what?" He asked, turning around to face me. "Oh, that."

"Oh, that?" I repeated, the anger evident in my voice. "Where did you get this? Why do you have this?"

"Well," he fumbled, for once at a loss for words. "Camila had it in your file."

"Camila had it in my file? What the hell does she have a file on me for?" I snapped, not sure how to comprehend that. "This photo was on the fridge, at my house! How did she get it? Did you break into my house?" I looked at him mortified and felt slightly violated. Had he gone through my things? My room.

"No, Quinn, I would never..." James began, trying to calm me down.

"You'd never do that?!" I shouted, taking a step closer to James. "I have no idea what you would do, James. Hell, I barely even know you!"

"Quinn," he said, his voice level, "you need to calm down. The doctor said you need to rest and relax."

"Fuck what the doctor said, James!" I shouted, unable to control my emotions. "I wouldn't even need a doctor if it wasn't for you!"

James looked hurt at my statement, and I could tell it hit a nerve. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt!"

"Well, I did! And it's all because of you and Camila!" I yelled, stepping closer to him so now I was only inches from his face. "I don't even want to be here but I don't have a choice!"

"You have a choice, Quinn, and you chose to go on that run! No one forced you!" James yelled back, his eyes blazing as he spoke.

"Right, I didn't have a choice! I had to do that run. Otherwise Camila would have turned Teresa and I out like whores!" I yelled back at him. "Guero forced me into this!" I spat out. "I told him to get out when he could but he didn't listen and look where it got him! Dead. Just like I'll be soon."

"Don't you ever say that." James whispered, his eyes flashing an emotion I couldn't quite place.

"It's true. Then I'll be one less thing for you to fucking deal with for Camila." I breathed out. "What do you care anyway?"

For the second time that night, James' eyes flickered down to my lips and I could feel the want radiating from his body, but he made no attempt to move closer. Or maybe that was my own want I was feeling because even though I had just yelled at him, I wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on mine again like I had at the airport.

"Why, James?" I pushed, looking deep into his eyes.

James opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it, turning away from me to walk to the door. "Take a shower, Quinn. Try and relax. I'll be downstairs."

Confused, angry, and not knowing what else to do, I made my way into the bathroom. After stripping down out of my clothes I stepped into the shower and turned the water on hot since it didn't have a burn my skin off setting. The warm water felt amazing against my skin and was starting to wash away the anger I was just feeling. I couldn't recall the last time I had a shower or did anything normal. The last few days have been anything but normal. I watched the dirt that had been on my body circle the drain as I scrubbed myself clean. I didn't know a persons skin could hold that much dirt and dried blood. I scrubbed myself so hard trying to remove the last few days, but it didn't work.

I turned around so the water was beating against my back and stared at the metal paper airplane charm on my bracelet. I hadn't really stopped running long enough to let the fact that Guero was dead sink in. Tears mixed with water fell down my cheeks as I leaned against the tile shower wall. I was holding back the dam of emotions inside myself, but leaks were starting to form and soon the dam would break and nothing could stop it.

After a few moments I pulled myself together the best I could and got out of the shower, wrapping one of James' towels around my body. Sighing, I regretted the way I had acted towards James. I knew, somehow, deep down he didn't break into my house and get that photo. Camila probably had someone else do it for her, but when I saw that picture, that piece of my old life, I couldn't control my anger. James was going out of his way to make sure I was okay and I just acted like a bitch.

Stepping out of the bathroom, I smiled slightly when I saw the picture of Guero and I on top of the pile of clothes resting on the bed. Quickly getting dressed, I pulled on the shirt and boxers, noticing how much bigger they were than my own, but yet they felt more comfortable than anything I've ever worn. They also smelled more amazing than anything I had ever smelled but I tried not to think about that as I towel dried my hair.

Taking a look around, I finally took in James' room, noticing how spacious and very him it was. The walls were a light grey color and the furniture was all black. It reminded me of a storm, so did he. Dark, mysterious and deadly.

Once my hair was fairly dry I returned the towel to the bathroom and then made my way downstairs slowly. A delicious scent filled my nostrils as I descended the staircase into the living room. My eyes fell on James in the kitchen standing at the stove. He was cooking?

Sitting down at the island, I watched as he moved with ease at the stove, lost in his own world. I knew he had heard me come down, as he paused his movements momentarily before continuing like nothing happened. After a few minutes of silence, I finally spoke.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly, still finding it hard to keep my own tears at bay, looking down at the dark marble countertop. When he didn't respond, I continued. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

I heard him sigh before he spoke. "Don't worry about it. The food will be ready in just a minute."

Just as he promised, only a few more minutes later, James made his way over to me with two bowls of pasta, which smelled delicious. Raising an eyebrow, I glanced between the bowl and him, shocked that he was able to make something that looked this good.

"What?" He furrowed his brows at me, sitting down at the island next to me. He pour two glasses of sweet tea out of the pitcher on the counter and slid a glass over to me and one for himself.

"I didn't know you could cook. You don't seem like the cooking type I mean." I babbled, nervous to be alone with him in his home. It was hard to believe but after the past few days I felt weird being in an actual home after staying at the warehouse.

James hid a smirk as he took a bite of pasta, then he reached for the bottle of pills Pablo had given me. He popped the top off and placed one on the counter by my bowl. "You should take that while you're eating." He instructed, then went back to his own bowl of noodles and sauce.

I popped the pill in my mouth and washed it down with the sweet tea he'd poured for me. Slowly, I ate and watched James out of the corner of my eye.

"I'm sorry about Guero, truly." He finally spoke after a long bout of silence had filled the room. "Regardless of what he did or didn't do, you didn't deserve to lose him."

I paused eating and stared at James. "Thank you."

"Were you close?" He asked nonchalantly, taking a drink of tea.

"He was my other half. We did everything together." I all but whispered, not trusting my voice to speak any louder. I feared I would burst into tears.

"Is he the only family you have in Mexico?" James asked, glancing at me.

I shook my head. "I know what you're doing, James."

He turned his barstool so it was face me and crossed his arms over his chest. "What am I doing, Quincy?"

"Don't call me that. It's Quinn." I spoke, gritting my teeth. "You're trying to get me to open up to you and tell you something Camila can use against me. It's not gonna work."

I resumed eating, feeling the pain in my head starting to subside as a warm fuzzy feeling embraced my entire body.

"Camila already knows everything there is to know about you. This is just small talk. I told you, I like talking while I'm eating. I'm not trying to trick you or trap you, not now anyway." James smirked. "I'm genuinely interested."

I didn't trust him fully and would never reveal to him that Tony and Brenda were out there somewhere. But with the way he was looking at me so innocently I wanted to tell him something. "It was just us in Mexico. My mom died when I was younger. So it's always been Guero and I against the world. Then Teresa joined us."

James nodded his head. "What about your dad?"

I scoffed. "He bailed on us a long time ago. I haven't seen him since he walked out the door. He wasn't exactly father of the year."

James picked up on the resentment and anger and hurt in my voice. "He hit you?" He asked out of the blue. How the hell did he come to that conclusion? Was it that obvious? I studied his face for a long time before I answered.

"Sometimes." I replied. "Sometimes it wasn't so bad. Sometimes he was almost normal. Then other times you could look at him and see it on his face, and I just knew."

James stayed quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry. No one should have to go through that, especially you." Our eyes met and he held my gaze for what felt like forever. Every time he looked at me my opinion of him seemed to shift. I didn't like it, not one bit.

"Do you have any idea where he went when he left?" James questioned, before scooping pasta into his mouth.

I shrugged. "If he knew what was good for him, he'd have gone straight to hell."

James nodded in agreement.

"What about you? I've told you more about me then I've heard about you." I gave him a weak smile, feeling tired. I finished the pasta in my bowl and turned to look at James the same way he had done a moment ago to look at me.

Our knees were just brushing against each other.

"I was in the military." He offered, surprising me. Although, I'd noticed how he carried himself and the way he knew his way around a gun, I suspected he had some sort of training, but not military. James noticed my shocked expression and chuckled. "1st Calvary. Based out of Fort Hood."

"I did not expect that. How did you end up working for Camila?" I asked, feeling relaxed from the pain killer I'd taken.

My eye lids felt heavy and my mind felt cloudy, but warm. I tried to focus on James, but I could feel myself giving in as I leaned my head against my hand on the island. James must've noticed because he avoided my question completely.

"Come on." He said, standing up and moving closer to me. "Let's get you to bed."

"But..." I protested, not wanting to go to sleep just yet. "I'm finally learning something about you!"

James chuckled, grabbing my hand and pulling me off the barstool. "That's enough about me. You need some rest. Doctor's orders."

"You're no fun." I pouted, unable to fully control my emotions.

James kept my hand in his and he led me through the kitchen and towards the stairs. I stumbled a bit, but was able to make it up the stairs without much help. This medicine sure did work wonders but damn was it making it hard to think straight. James pulled me into his bedroom and I stopped, causing him to let go of my hand.

"What?" James questioned, a worried look crossing his features.

"Why are we in your room?" I asked, starting to feel nervous.

"You need some sleep." James stated, not understanding my confusion.

"I understand that, but don't you have a guest room or something? I'll sleep on the couch." I questioned, trying to keep the thought of sharing his bed out of my mind.

"No, Quinn." James shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You need proper rest so you're going to sleep here."

I glanced between him and his bed, still not moving from my spot. "Where will you sleep?"

"Don't you worry about that." James replied, pulling me towards his bed again. "You just get some much needed rest."

Nodding, I tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a yawn that took over my entire face. James laughed at me, tossing the blankets aside and allowing me to climb in. I hated to admit it but his bed felt like heaven, and it smelled just like him. Unable to stop myself, I snuggled into his pillow, already feeling my eyelids getting heavy. I felt James reach out and push a piece of my hair out of my face. His hand lingered against my skin longer than it probably should have.

"Goodnight, Quinn. Sweet dreams. I'll check on you in a bit." James whispered as I lost the battle, drifting into a deep sleep.

 **A/N: Please let me know what you think! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Family Reunion**

 **James Point of View**

Standing there I watched as Quinn drifted off into a deep slumber. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I was really starting to have feelings for this girl. I think I've had feelings for her since I saw her standing by that damn Christmas tree at Camila's party six months ago. I liked her moodiness and her ability to call bullshit when she saw it. She was perceptive and smart. No matter how strong my feelings were though, I couldn't do anything about it. She belonged to Camila and starting anything with her would just end badly. I already felt like shit for getting this close to her as is, especially with how I was feeling. Camila wanted me to earn her trust, but now that I had it, I felt like I was betraying her in some way.

After grabbing my laptop from downstairs I settled into the armchair in my bedroom and watched Quinn sleep for a while before trying to track down her asshole of a father. She hadn't given me much to go on at dinner when I questioned her about him, but with what I had learned from Camila, I should be able to find him. After running a few searches, I was shocked that I had found her father so easily. I honestly thought it'd be a little more difficult but it turns out he lives right here in Texas. Antonio West lived two hours away from Dallas. I'd be paying him a visit tomorrow morning.

I was about to wake Quinn up like the doctor had instructed me to do every few hours when I heard her moaning and whimpering in her sleep. I glanced over the laptop and noticed her thrashing around a little. Whatever nightmare she was having had a good hold on her.

"No…no…no…" Quinn cried out in her sleep. I sat my laptop down on the table beside my armchair and made my way over to Quinn's side.

I turned the bedside lamp on and sat down on the side of the bed. Her skin was slick with sweat and her face looked pale. Tears were sliding down her cheeks in her sleep. Seeing her this way again made something inside me uncomfortable. I didn't like seeing her in pain like this. I shook her shoulder gently as she continued to moan and twitch in her sleep. "Quinn, wake up. You're having a nightmare."

I brushed the hair out of her face that had covered her eyes. "Quinn, wake up, it's okay."

Suddenly, her eyes shot open as she sat straight up, breathing so fast I thought she was going to hyperventilate. Unsure of what to do, I just stayed sitting on the side of the bed, hoping that now that she was awake, she'd feel better. However, that didn't seem to be the case.

"James?" Quinn whispered, almost confused, tears still in her eyes. I now realized her hand was grasping my forearm. I could feel her hand shaking through my shirt.

Without thinking, I pulled her into my arms. "It's okay, Quinn." I whispered through her hair. "I'm right here."

Nodding her head, Quinn clung onto my shirt for dear life, and I didn't mind at all. In fact I didn't want to ever let go. Rubbing her back soothingly, I waited a few minutes before pulling away awkwardly. Her breathing had calmed down and she had stopped crying. Her eyes were a bit puffy and her cheeks were red but she still looked as beautiful as ever.

Pushing the thought from my head, I spoke. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, wiping the stray tears from her cheeks. "Yeah, I'm okay." Her voice cracked at the end.

"Are you sure?" I asked, looking her over to double check for myself. "You're not feeling worse or anything?"

"I'm okay. Just tired." Quinn sighed, a slight smile on her face. "Really, I'm fine, James. I just had a nightmare is all. They've been happening a lot, it's not a big deal."

I could tell by the way she looked down at the end, that it was a big deal. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, shocking myself with my own actions. The things this girl could make me do already.

"No, thank you though." She whispered, fidgeting with the sleeve of the shirt I'd given her to wear. I was trying desperately not to like the way she looked in my clothes, but it was difficult.

After a moment of silence, I cleared my throat.

"Okay. I'll let you get some more sleep." I replied going to stand up but a small hand on my arm stopped me. My eyes fell on Quinn's hand and then I glanced to meet her eyes. She looked shocked as hell that she'd touched my arm, again. I was a little shocked myself.

"Wait." She said, panic in her voice. "Will you stay here with me? Just until I fall asleep? I don't want to be alone."

Looking at Quinn, I tried to find anywhere else I needed to be right now, but I failed and couldn't deny her request. I've seen this girl act so fierce since she got here but yet she sat here, broken and afraid by whatever had woken her from her sleep, and I wanted to comfort her. I found myself sitting back on the bed, I pulled her into my side without thinking, covering her up with the blanket, while I stayed on top of it.

"Thank you." Quinn whispered into my chest.

"Don't mention it. Ever. To anyone. Now get some sleep." I told her, slightly smirking to myself.

Feeling her nod into my collarbone, I didn't have to wait long until I felt her breathing return to its slow and deep rhythm. I had every intention of getting up when she fell asleep but laying here, I couldn't bring myself to move. Laying in bed with her, it almost felt like we had a normal life, like I had a normal life. Something that I hadn't had in a long time, if ever. Sighing deeply, I hadn't realized how tired I was until now and Quinn's presence somehow calmed me more than any drug I'd ever taken. Feeling my eyelids get heavy, I didn't even try to fight the sleep that took over my body.

The phone in my pocket vibrating pulled me back into consciousness the next morning. I felt something warm snuggled into my side and upon opening my eyes I saw that Quinn was still asleep, her head on my chest. Her hand was clutching the fabric of my shirt for dear life, almost as if she were afraid I'd disappear if she loosened her grip. I'd never felt more relaxed in my entire life. Somehow in the middle of the night we'd cuddled even closer together and now her leg was resting on top of mine. I was fully aware of the morning wood situation I had going on as well.

Fuck.

This was a huge mistake.

My arm was still wrapped protectively around Quinn, giving her the security she needed last night. My phone continued to vibrate in my pocket making it clear I needed to get up. Slowly, and I mean slowly, I began detangling myself from Quinn. She stirred lightly, but never woke up.

I slipped into the bathroom and closed the door, pulling my phone from my pocket. Camila's name lit up the screen.

"Yeah?" I answered, pinching the bridge of my nose, trying to wake up.

"Have you tracked down Quinn's father yet?" Camila questioned, her tone clipped. She was already in a mood today.

"I found out where he's staying last night. I was gonna go pick him up this morning. What do you want me to tell him?" I asked, trying to figure out how we were playing this.

"You tell him whatever you have to in order to get him here." Camila ordered. "Give him money, promise him a fix, whatever you have to do. I don't care, James."

"Understood." I said, trying to say as little as possible so I didn't wake Quinn up and so I didn't make Camila more upset than she already was. Teresa and Quinn being here had her on edge even more than usual.

"And James?" She asked, her tone calm and terrifying.

"Yes?" I replied, knowing that I was about to be in trouble.

"You better hurry." She spat out coldly, hanging up as soon as the words left her mouth.

I hung up and placed my phone on the bathroom counter. After grabbing a quick shower I put on the jeans I had on from last night and headed out into the bedroom to grab a new shirt. I figured it was better to go shirtless than with no pants. To my surprise Quinn was still sound asleep, curled on her side. I needed to go get Antonio so Camila wouldn't shit, so I didn't have time to run her back to the warehouse. She didn't know where she was or how to get back to the warehouse herself so I knew she'd stay put until I came back to get her. She'd never do anything stupid like run, without Teresa. I'd watched them together and could see how much they cared for each other.

I found a clean shirt and slipped it over my head. I couldn't just leave without telling Quinn I would be gone for a while, but I couldn't bring myself to wake her up either. I found a scrap piece of paper and pen and wrote her a note.

Stay here. Be back soon. Don't run. -James

I folded the paper in half and placed it on the bed beside her and with that I grabbed my leather jacket and headed out.

••••••

Driving into the little town Antonio lived in, I regretted leaving Quinn alone, but this needed to be done. Otherwise, Camila would be livid and that would make a terrible day for everyone. She was still pissed at me about the whole chemist thing. Sighing, I thought back to last night. What was I thinking? Comforting Quinn like that was a mistake. A huge one. Not because I didn't care for her, but because I did care for her. I was getting to close to her to quickly and I couldn't have that effecting my judgement.

Running a hand through my hair, I tried not to think about that as I pulled up to the apartment complex that Antonio lived in. Though, once I checked out the inside, I decided living was a bit of an overstatement. It looked more like a fucking drug den then anything. The place was unlocked so I took a look around, trying to find any trace of where the man might be. There was no furniture other then a mattress on the living room floor and a tv. An overturned milk crate was being used as a table and it was full of needles. Shaking my head, I thought I'd try my luck with his neighbors.

Thankfully, one of them told me he might be at the local bar. It's five o'clock somewhere I guess. Once I had gotten the directions to the little hole in the wall bar, I said goodbye and drove the five minutes down the backroads to the place. Being early morning on a weekday, there was hardly anyone here, which meant finding him would be a lot easier than I imagined. Going inside, there was a few people at some tables but only one person sat at the bar and something told me that's who I was looking for.

Walking up to the man, I eyed him from the corner of my eye, making sure this was him. Sure enough, he looked like the man in the photo I had found online, except more strung out. His dark eyes had circles under them, his hands shook as he took a drink of his beer. His hair looked like it hadn't been washed in days and his beard was unruly and in bad need of a trim. However I did see bits of Quinn when I looked at this shell of a man. They had the same eyes and the same nose.

Clearing my throat, I turned towards him.

"Antonio West?" I asked casually.

"Yeah." He grunted out, turning to face me. "Who the fuck is asking?"

"I need you to come with me." I said calmly, hoping we could do this the easy way.

"Like hell." He replied, motioning for the bartender to bring him another beer. "I don't know you. Now fuck off."

"My name is James." I told him, hoping that would help. "I need you to come with me. My boss wants to talk to you and trust me she's someone you'll wanna talk with."

"Well, James," he spat out, turning slightly to look at me. "I don't know you or your boss. So like I said, you can fuck off."

"I know your daughter." I supplied, hoping to get a reaction.

Antonia paused, knitting his eyebrows together, like he really had to think about whether or not he actually even had a daughter. I saw the spark of recognition flutter through his head and then he shrugged, smirking. This guy was a piece of shit. Antonio turned to face me fully, looking me up and down. "What'd that whore of a daughter do now?"

Closing my eyes, I clenched my jaw, using all the strength in my body not to hit him square in the mouth for calling Quinn a whore. "She didn't do anything, she just works with me and I thought you might want to see her. From what she's told me it's been a while."

"You're gonna have to d better than that." Antonio laughed, turning back to the bar.

"How about this?" I pulled out a small wad of cash and set it down in front of him.

I saw his eyes widen for a brief moment before he turned to look at me again. "You for real?"

"All you have to do is come with me and that's yours." I bribed. "My boss will also throw in your drug of choice, free of charge."

"You gotta be fucking with me." Antonio scoffed, looking around the bar as if something bad was about to happen. "Who the fuck do you work for, kid?"

"Someone you'd rather have as a friend than an enemy. So what do you say?" I could tell he would have said yes as soon as I showed him the cash, but I figured the drugs would make him more agreeable once we got to the warehouse.

"Let's go." Antonio said, slamming back the rest of his beer before sliding off the barstool and heading towards the door.

I steered Quinn's drunk joke of a father to my car and prayed he wouldn't puke on the way back to the warehouse. A handed Antonio off to Charger and instructed him to keep him numb until I got back with Quinn.

 **Quinn's Point of View**

The warm Texas sun shining through the curtains woke me. Squinting at the sun I slowly came too, in James' bed. Slowly I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. My head felt a thousand times better since I was able to sleep relatively well last night. Although, I remembered waking up at some point and James was there. I'd been having a nightmare about Guero and getting the phone call that he was dead again. I woke up startled and James was right by my side. Oh god, I'd hugged him. I can hear the sound of my voice asking him to stay with me. What the hell is wrong with me?

I noticed a slip of folded paper lying on the bed and picked it up, unfolding it. "Stay here. Be back soon. Don't run. -James." I read silently to myself. He's quite the poet isn't he. Like I would run without Teresa, I scoffed. James wasn't even here? Where the hell did he go? Was this some twisted test again? Is he waiting outside to see if I try and run?

I crumbled up his note and tossed it on the bed. I got up, feeling just how sore my body still felt from everything it's endured the last few days. I found my jeans on the floor and dug the phone James had given me out of the pocket. I dialed Teresa's number and listened to the trill of the line as it rang.

"Quinn! Are you okay? Where the hell are you?" Teresa whispered into the phone, frantic and panicked.

"I'm okay. I promise. The doctor said I had a mild concussion so I had to stay with James in case something happened and I needed a hospital." I explained, pacing back and forth in James bedroom. I kept glancing at his bed and felt awkward, so turning on my heel I headed over to the window and peeked past the cream colored curtains.

James car wasn't parked on the street. I hadn't noticed last night, but he lived in a very upscale neighborhood.

"I'm so glad you're okay. When you didn't come back I got worried.

"I'm so glad you're okay. When you didn't come back I got worried." Teresa said, terror filled in her voice.

"I'm okay." I reassured her again. "I'll be back later today, I think. At least I'm assuming I will be." I couldn't believe the thought even past through my mind, but I missed the warehouse. I didn't like being in James' house, especially not alone. It felt weird and odd because I hardly knew the guy.

"Good." Teresa paused for a moment, and I could tell she had more to say.

"What is it?" I asked, worried something may have happened to her while I was gone.

"I called them. They're okay. They're on their way to Texas." Teresa said slowly.

I wracked my brain, trying to think of who they were but I was drawing a blank. "Who?"

Sighing deeply, Teresa replied. "Brenda and Tony."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, realizing how fried my brain felt. "That's good. I'm glad to know they're safe. Why didn't you just say that?"

"I didn't want anything to happen to them because I said something while someone was listening." Teresa explained.

"Well if you already used the phone to call them..." I trailed off. I warned her about Camila being able to listen in.

We needed to get our hands on a burner phone. Something Camila couldn't tap into so easily. It's the safest way to keep in touch with Brenda and Tony.

Teresa groaned, realizing her mistake. "Well, hopefully they'll be safe on the way here. I had to lie to Brenda and tell her everything was fine and that she'd love it here."

"It'll be alright. We'll all be better together than we are apart." I assured her, hoping I wasn't just lying to myself.

"Okay. I gotta go. Someone's coming. I'll see you soon." Teresa said hurriedly before hanging up.

I hung up the phone and paced around James' bedroom some more. My clothes felt damp from sweating all night so I decided to take a shower, but I didn't have another clean shirt to put on. My eyes fell on James' dresser, I could borrow one from him again, but that would require me to go through his drawers and I wasn't crossing that line. Scratching the back of my head, I turned on my heel and faced the closet. Grabbing a shirt out of the closet wasn't as bad as rifling through his drawers, right? It didn't feel as intimate. Carefully, I opened the closet door and walked inside. Of course he had a walk in closet. I flipped the light switch on and stared at his clothes and shoes. It was all expensive stuff. My fingers danced across the fabric of his shirts that were hanging up. I paused when I saw his old army uniform. He was telling me the truth.

I pulled the camouflage uniform out a little and ran my fingers over his name tag. Stitched in white over a small black piece of fabric was his last name, Valdez.

James Valdez.

Least now I knew his last name.

Letting go of the uniform I found a black t shirt that didn't look as expensive as the rest and pulled it off the hanger.

After showering and getting dressed I decided to head downstairs and wait for James to return. I walked around his living room, taking in the photos sitting on the mantel to the fireplace. Some were nature shots. A few were of him from when he was in the army. I ventured over to the bookcase under the window seat and perused his selection of books. It was mostly classics and historical fiction. Had to hand it to him, he had good taste.

I'd been awake for an hour and a half and wondered where on earth James could have gone and why the hell he left me here, alone, in his house. Part of me wanted to open the front door and see if he was outside waiting for me to make a move, but I didn't. He wanted to trust me. He did trust me. So I didn't want to break that.

I wondered into the kitchen and looked in his fridge. Good lord. It looked like a college frat boy lived in his house with the amount of beer and junk food that lined the shelves. I smirked and grabbed the spray can of cool whip and shot it in my mouth before putting it back. I went through the cabinets and found a box of elbow noodles and decided to make home made macaroni and cheese, just like Guero used to make for me.

I'd ate and left a bowl on the counter for James figuring it was the least I could do for eating his food. He could eat it if he ever came back. I was doing the dishes from last night since I didn't have anything else to do when a voice startled me.

"What are you doing?"

Jumping, I turned around to see James standing in the doorway of the kitchen. I never even heard him come inside. How long was he standing there? "I just thought since you were nice enough to let me stay here and cook, I should at least clean up. Plus, I wasn't sure what else to do and I tend to clean when I get nervous."

"I make you nervous?" James asked with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned into the doorway.

"No!" I answered quickly with a scoff. "I was just nervous being here alone for so long. Where did you go, anyway? You've been gone forever."

"Just somewhere for work. Don't worry about it." He answered causally. "Is that my shirt?" James stared at the black t shirt I'd snagged out of his closet. It had the words Gucci written on the front. It wasn't something I honestly pictured James wearing but he owned so I suppose he did. "Did you go through my stuff?" He quirked an eyebrow at me accusingly.

"No!" I shook my head, wringing a dish towel in my hands.

"That's my shirt." James stated bluntly.

"Well yeah, I didn't think you'd mind. I needed a clean one. I'm so sorry, I can take it off." I babbled, looking down at the shirt. It was two sizes to big on me, but it smelled exactly like James. The scent was intoxicating.

James quirked his eyebrow again at my remark, smirking.

"I mean put it back. I can put it back." I corrected myself, my nerves getting the better of me. I went to head for the stairs to change and put the shirt back when James cut me off.

"Don't worry about it. It looks better on you." He ducked his head as he headed for the mac and cheese on the counter. "Where'd this come from?"

"I made it. I thought you might want what was left." I answered quietly.

"You can cook?" He smirked, shoving a forkful off noodles in his mouth.

I flipped him the finger and he actually chuckled. The hearty sound made my insides tingle. The sound didn't last long though. James ate a few bites but I noticed his demeanor changing. His jaw became rigid as he walked the bowl to the sink. When he turned around he didn't look as happy as he was a few moments ago.

"Go get your shoes. We're heading back to the warehouse." He ordered, pulling his phone out, not bothering to look up at me.

I looked down at my bare feet and then went to retrieve my boots.

"Hurry up!" James called out as I was coming down the steps.

"I'm coming. Calm down." I shot back at him.

He ushered me out the front door quickly. "So where did you go all morning?" I asked, again, as he locked the front door to his townhouse.

He shrugged off my question and headed towards his car, giving me the cold shoulder now. "Did I do something to piss you off?" I questioned hesitantly, approaching the passenger side of his car where he stood waiting with the door open.

"I don't have to answer your fucking questions, Quinn." James sighed, rubbing his hand down his jaw.

"Is it your time of the month or something? You were nice to me last night and up until a few minutes ago. Your mood swings are giving me whiplash here." I shot out. I didn't have to take his shit. At least not while we weren't at the warehouse.

James scoffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" He stepped forward, grabbing my arm gently, guiding me towards the car so I'd obey and get in. I yanked my arm out of his grasp. James placed his hands on both sides of the roof of his car, boxing me in. "Let's get a few things straight, Quinn. I'm not your friend or your buddy. I don't care what happens to you. All you are is a job to me. If I'm being nice to you, it's because Camila told me to be nice to you. Are we clear?" He spat the words out so vehemently I coward back away from him as much as I possibly could.

James removed his arms from encasing me and the warmth that had been surrounding me went with it.

"Are we clear?" James asked again.

"Crystal." I whispered back, staring him directly in the face. I clenched my jaw shut, angry for reasons I didn't fully understand and got in the car.

James slammed the door shut and walked around to his side.

 **James Point of View**

I got in the car and slammed the door shut. I sat there silently hating myself for being a dick to Quinn. She kept her head turned looking out the window, refusing to look at me. I didn't blame her, I wouldn't want to look at me either. I was confusing her and she was confusing the hell out of me. If I didn't keep looking at her as part of my job, as an assignment, things would get complicated. I don't do complicated.

My loyalty lies with Camila. Not some girl I may or may not be beginning to have feelings for that I hardly know with a sketchy ass past.

"I'm not the guy that's gonna rescue you. I can't be." I said, pausing as I was about to start the car.

"Who said I need you to save me?" Quinn glared at me. Our eyes were locked on each other now. "I may have had my brother to rely on growing up, but I have always taken care of myself. So I don't need you to rescue me, James." She spat the words out, anger flooding her beautiful features.

I nodded my head. "Good."

Without another word I started the car and pulled out onto the street, heading towards the warehouse. Quinn didn't attempt to make small talk and the silence began eating away at me, so I turned on the radio to distract myself.

I drove with one hand and cracked the window with the other and lit a cigarette, hoping it would ease my nerves. If Quinn doesn't hate me now, she will after we get to the warehouse and she sees her father. But I can't care. I don't care.

I blew smoke out the window and flicked the ashes out as well as we made a left turn. I glanced at Quinn out of the corner of my eye and noticed she'd tucked her knees up under her chin. It was weird walking into my house and seeing her standing at the sink washing dishes. For a fleeting moment before she knew I was standing there I thought maybe that's what my life would've been like without the cartel. I'd be coming home from a shit job to a beautiful girl, who's wearing my shirt and cooking.

Maybe I could still have it that way…someday…with someone. Although I'd dated a girl named Kim for a while and it didn't exactly work out. She got tired of having to be cautious and put up with my coming and going at all hours and eventually left me for a guy she'd been cheating on me with. He was some oil company executive asshole.

Quinn changed the radio station capturing my attention. That's when I realized I didn't want it to be just some random girl, I wanted it to be her. I've wanted it to be her since the Christmas party.

I scoffed to myself and shook my head at the absurd shit running through my head. A girl like Quinn wasn't gonna hang around with some guy that works for a cartel, even if she does get cleared and through all this shit with Camila. If she does, she'll be gone.

And I'll be here, doing what I do best.

We pulled up at the warehouse and I shut off the car and got out. Quinn was already out of the car and heading inside before I could make it around to get the door for her. I followed her inside and caught her arm just as she was about to head through the door to enter where the mules sleep. "Camila wants to see you. Come with me."

"Can I tell Teresa that I'm back." She asked, hesitant. Teresa was sitting on her bed and hadn't spotted Quinn yet.

"No." I pulled Quinn along beside me, careful not to grip her arm too hard, but enough to let her know I wasn't in the mood.

Quinn stayed silent and obeyed. For once. I led her down a hallway and then down a flight of stairs into the basement where I'd put Antonio in a room. I could feel Quinn stiffen under my grip. I caught her looking over her shoulder out of the corner of my eye more than once. She was worried and scared, but she kept her face neutral, trying not to react.

We stopped in front of a door and I opened it, letting go of her arm and gesturing for her to go in first. Our eyes met, as she brushed past me and headed inside. I'd looked behind me to close the door and crashed right into the back of Quinn. She'd froze in her tracks seeing her father sitting in a chair in front of a table.

I stepped around Quinn and noticed that her face had gone pale. She was shaking her head slightly, confused. Anger flashed across her face like a lightening storm. Her eyes were laced with betrayal.

Antonio had done two of the three rails of coke I had supplied him with before I left. The third still lying on the table. He smirked at Quinn, crossing his arms behind his head. "Well, look at this shit. Daddy's little girl is all grown up and damn I must say sweetheart you are quite the piece. You got that from your momma."

"What is this?" She hissed, glaring at me. If her looks could kill I'd be dead. "Why is he here?"

"What no love for your old man?" Antonia shook his head. He leaned down and snorted the last line of coke up his nose, rubbing his nose and coughing afterwards.

"Why is he here?" Quinn seethed, stepping towards me. She looked at her father and then back at me shaking her head. "Is that where you went this morning? To get this piece of shit!" She slammed her hands into my chest as hard as possible. "Why would you do that? How could you do that to me?" Her hands slapped my chest again, doing little to move me, but enough to rock me on my heels. I knew this would hurt her. I just didn't expect her to be this pissed at me. "You know what he did to me."

I said nothing and took the hits to the chest.

"I'm surprised that little shithead Guero let you hook up with this one here." Antonio laughed, pointing at James. "Always thought he was a little too possessive over his little sister. Almost made me think he had a thing for you. You and James here fucking around together probably drives him insane!"

"Shut up!" Quinn roared, turning her rage on Antonio.

"Where is Guero?" Antonio smirked, enjoying hurting his daughter. This guy was sick and I wanted to fucking punch him in the face just so he would shut the hell up.

"He's dead! You asshole! He died! I wish he would have fucking killed you when he was alive so I wouldn't have to be looking at you right now!" Quinn yelled, but her voice cracked and I noticed tears falling down her cheek.

Something in my chest tightened and I had to look away. I leaned against the concrete wall and crossed my arms over my chest.

The door opened and Camila walked in, heels clicking on the concrete as she entered. She sat a small black box down on the table and looked at Quinn, giving her a small wicked little grin.

"I see you two have been getting reacquainted." Camila walked over towards Quinn and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I had James track down your father so we could have this little family reunion."

"That man is not my family." Quinn spat out. "Why don't you just play whatever card you think you have here and get it over with." Quinn challenged Camila, leveling her with a hardened stare.

"There's nothing I admire more than straightforwardness." Camila began. "You see my husband keeps calling me about you and Teresa and I'm starting to really want to know what you two could possibly have on him that could be making him foam at the mouth this much."

"I don't know what your husband wants us for." Quinn snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I think you do and I'm going to find out, one way or another." Camila explained, walking back over towards the table. She opened the black box she'd carried in and my eyes went wide as Camila pulled out a gun and held it Antonio's head.

She's not playing around today I can see.

"Are you sure there's nothing you want to tell me?" Camila asked, a perfect eyebrow raised.

"Camila, what the hell?" James exclaimed from behind her.

"We need to know why Epifanio wants these girls so badly!" Camila snapped. "If this is what I have to do then I'll do it. Now shut up."

I snapped my mouth shut as Camila looked me dead in the eye. Quinn didn't even flinch at the sight of Camila holding the gun to Antonio's head.

"I have nothing to tell you." Quinn answered honestly. "Now either do me a favor and pull the trigger or let me leave."

Antonio was so high at the moment he had no idea his life was even in any danger. He was nodding in and out completely lost.

Camila smirked slightly at Quinn's comment, staring directly at me for one more moment before lowering the gun. "You're a smart girl, Quinn. Even the smartest people make a mistake at some point though. You will too. And I'll have my answers."

"Can I go now that the shows over?" Quinn asked, itching to get the hell out of the room and most likely away from me.

Camila nodded her head. "James will walk you out."

I walked over to Quinn and gently took her arm and led her out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind me Quinn yanked her arm out of my grasp. Yeah, she's definitely pissed at me.

"Quinn…" I called out, causing her to turn on her heel halfway down the hallway.

She looked at me with more hatred then anyone has ever looked at me with before. When she spoke her voice was deadly calm. "Don't. Don't you ever talk to me again. You brought him here."

"I was doing my job." I snapped back at her.

"Fuck you!" She yelled back at me, then turned and headed down the hallway away from me.

I sighed, heading back into the room with Camila and Antonio. Camila was putting her handgun away. "Well that went well." I shot out sarcastically.

"Actually it did." Camila smiled.

"How do you figure. She didn't tell you shit." I reminded her.

"Actions can speak louder than words sometimes. You should know this. I watched you two on the security monitor before I came in here and her reaction to seeing him told me all I need to know." Camila explained, as if I knew what the fuck she was talking about. "She trusts you. Which means sooner or later she will let her guard down around you, James."

"Any trust I had built with her, is gone now." I pointed out, lighting a cigarette.

"Quinn has feelings for you. Play off of that." Camila spoke, walking towards the door.

I'm pretty sure Quinn doesn't feel a damn thing for me. I scoffed, blowing smoke out of my nose. "What do you want me to do, seduce her?" I half laughed at the thought.

"Seduce her. Propose to her. Make her think you're the king of her heart. I don't care. Use her feelings for you to our advantage." Camila placed her hand on the door, ready to leave. "Get her to talk."

"What makes you think she has feelings for me?" I questioned, tossing my cigarette onto the floor and stepping on it with the heel of my boot.

"She wasn't hurt because her father was here, she was hurt because you brought him here. I've seen the way she looks at you and you her. It's obvious. Just don't let it get personal, James. And send him back to wherever he came from." Camila gestured towards Antonio nodding out in the chair behind her.


	10. Chapter 10: NOTE

Hey everyone!

Some of you may know already and some of you may not, but I fell out of my wheelchair about a week ago now. I just want to thank you for all your kind comments and continued support while I'm going through all of this. It's been confirmed that I broke my wrist AND my femur... not my knee as I was first told. I'm in a lot of pain and really wish that I could keep updating for you but even typing this much is causing me a lot of pain! I'm in casts and hopped up on painkillers atm. Docs say I'll be down 6-12 weeks because my bones are so brittle.

I want to thank you all again for the support and cannot wait to be fully healed and back up and writing again! Don't worry I will be taking all this resting time to come up with a whole bunch of new plot twists, ideas and drama that will make up for the missing updates!

Much love!

Jenn


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